The Link
by bluexwolfx
Summary: Sora has always been there. She was the one who kept the group together when no one else could. So what happens when she's taken away, to a place no one can ever find? Taiora/Sorato, Takari, plus others. Rated M for the usual things and future chapters.
1. Message

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.  
**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**MESSAGE**

Sitting down at the wooden table located outside of the high school's cafeteria, Sora pulled a paper bag towards her. The simple action seemed too, well, simple. After everything that happened two years ago, everything in the real world seemed simple and unimportant. It would still take some getting used to.

The eighteen year old dumped the contents of her lunch onto the table- a sandwich, apple, and a container of green tea. She sighed. The usual. Only- the cherry red apple was now a bit bruised from where it had hit the table. Sora sighed again, wiping the food item off with a napkin.

She had grown out of being a tomboy in favor of pleasing her mother. That included giving up soccer and taking up ikebana, flower arranging. But Sora had been persistent, and her mother had conceded to allow her to take up another sport to keep in shape. Sora had chosen tennis.

Someone dropped down beside her on the old bench, and after a brief, initial panic, Sora relaxed. It was Taichi Kamiya, and being himself, hadn't thought to announce his presence. He had a bagged lunch too, but shifted through the contents inside, finding something he liked and left the rest still in the bag.

"How was the physics test? I heard it would be pretty hard." He asked, stuffing a couple of chips in his mouth and chewing a bit too loudly.

Wincing slightly, Sora smoothed out her skirt before taking up her sandwich. Living with her mother had its effects, as Sora and she were always doing things the proper way, even if the lazy path was easier.

"Well, I did some studying late into the night, but it was kind of a waste." She explained, taking a bite herself and chewing thoughtfully. She was careful to swallow before going on. "Only ten questions, sticking to the easiest facts possible." She rolled her eyes.

Today was supposed to be the big physics test that had all the Seniors freaking out. Mr. Toshi had promised that it would be harder then they were prepared for, and at least five hours of straight studying were needed. The test had come up, and Sora had zipped through it in five minutes. She had sat back, amazed, for double that time, wondering if she had the correct test.

Tai chuckled, crumpling the chip bag up. He had studied into the night, too, but still felt unprepared. The thought of going to college next year was what really got him into school work and he had matured out a bit.

"That's a relief. I need something easy to bring up my grade. I'm more of a biology guy."

Sora chuckled as well. She looked up, her eyes scanning the court yard. Everyone had entered the Odaibi High School this year and it was difficult for Sora to catch a moment alone with her Senior friends without one of the many Freshman approaching her. She loved all of her friends, but they were still kids in a way, and after a while, it got a bit tiring to see Davis run up to her and tell his latest perverted joke that he was already laughing at before even saying it.

"You'll ace this one." She promised, finishing the sandwich in dainty bites. She supposed it would pay off to become girly later on in her life. She was still relieved to be doing sports, especially one that her mom seemed to think highly of. She had said that soccer 'had too much physical contact for a girl her age.'

Tai leaned back casually, tossing the chip bag back and forth that now resembled a lumpy ball. His eyes narrowed suddenly, and his head swiveled around, checking to see if no one was around. They would probably be raided in a few seconds, so he had to be fast. It was their luck that all the Digidestined had the same designated lunch. Except for Izzy and Kari. However, Izzy stuck to the computer lab, and Kari had a fair amount of other friends to eat with, anyway.

"Sora, I wanted to ask you something the other day, but I kept forgetting." He looked sheepish for a moment, then plunged on. "I've noticed Kari's sort of been acting different. I don't know, it's like she's _glowing_."

He looked at Sora expectantly, waiting for her girl expertise to hit home and make sense of what was going on.

Sora, on the other hand, grinned broadly when she heard Taichi and had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Kari had changed incredibly about a week ago, going from slightly shy to positively elated.

About a week ago, on an annual visit to the Digiworld, TK had brought Kari aside, taking her through the forest a few ways to get away from the other kids. There, without warning, TK had kissed Kari as sincerely as he could manage. It had gone on for several moments, both surprised when it was finished.

When Kari had told her this over at her house, Sora had congratulated her. After the youngest Kamiya had left, Sora had let her sorrows escape. She wished Matt and her could go back to being like that. But he was growing busier than ever as the Teenage Wolves fans expanded past Odaibi. Sora now felt a bit ridicules trying to reach Matt- like hundreds of other girls.

But right now, Sora was trying not to concentrate on her own dwindling relationship, as she had the task of calming Tai, who considered himself the forever protector of his sister.

"Don't worry, Tai," she said patiently, standing up. Her words hadn't appeased Tai, who now looked even more confused. "It's out of your league, this one, but I guarantee no harm is coming to Kari."

Tai didn't looked completely convinced, but shrugged. "Where are you going? Lunch period isn't even half over. In fact, everyone's only just coming now." He waved at the group of teenagers casually walking over to his and Sora's table.

"Sorry, but I have to visit the library for some self research."

Now Tai looked really alarmed. Sora pretended to swat at him with her arm. Grinning, she tossed him her bruised apple, which he caught effortlessly.

"Give my best to everyone. And I'll catch you in last period!" She gave a cheerful wave, before trotting off in the direction of the school's library.

Tai looked down at the apple, frowning. He had only moments to get himself together before he was overcome by a multitude of friends, each babbling about their day. Tai shoved the apple in his backpack and joined in.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora had easily located the library. She had paused while passing the auditorium, wondering if she should pop in for a quick hi. She had decided against it, knowing other members of the band were getting a bit ticked at her frequent interruptions.

With a sigh, she plopped down at a computer. She knew she was jealous of TK and Kari, but only to the point of how their relationship worked. They weren't open about in public, and most of the team had already noticed the change. Out of politeness, did they not say anything. It was only the hotheads who hadn't noticed yet. But, Sora was still envious.

She typed in a few words, moved the mouse around, and brought up a search engine on the Internet. Without pausing, she jotted the words down into the engine. Clicking 'enter,' Sora waited impatiently for the page to load.

She clicked on the first link that popped up. It was the website for Sugino Fashion College. Sora could only stare at the page. After a moment, she leaned back in her chair, dazed.

A couple days ago, she had picked up the mail and instantly became nervous when she saw the official looking envelope addressed to her. Her hands had shook while she quickly read through the letter. She had been accepted into fashion college. She had closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath. She had taken a great interest in fashion recently and decided to major in it. Now, she could.

Sora had yet to tell her friends the news. The only person who had spoken of getting into college was Izzy; heck, between him and Yolei that could be _out_ of college by now. Izzy was riding home free on a full scholarship for four years.

She wasn't sure why she couldn't tell her friends; they would be elated that she would have this opportunity, and probably ask for something to be designed. Right now, all she could do was brush some hair out of her eyes.

Sora shut the computer down after printing out the first page of the website. Her finger pressed into the thick button for a moment, before removing it when the screen went black. She glanced at the clock.

She had twenty minutes before next period and didn't feel like going back to lunch. After school would be her usual tennis practice. People must have found out about her, because she had been offered a couple of athletic scholarships, before deciding to do something practical with her life. Tennis players were always traveling around, and Sora didn't want that.

Her fingers drummed on the desk next to the keyboard, still at a loss for what to do. She rose from her chair, walking over to the window. She was on the second story of the building, and looking down, could see her friends clearly splayed out on the grass and table, laughing.

Sora winced, pulling away. Maybe it was time to grow up finally…

* * *

That night, Matt was laid out on his bed, still fully clothed. He stared at the numerous pictures that lined the walls. Most of them were more recent, thanks to Kari's camera being on hand. Everyone looked so happy. The boy shifted to his side, staring across the room at a particular picture. He frowned now when he looked at it.

It was a picture of him and Sora right after Christmas, after they gotten together. Both of them looked cheerful and grateful for the other's company.

Everything had changed since then. The Teenage Wolves had gotten more popular than ever and spending time alone with Sora seemed impossible. Matt glanced down. A phone was in his right hand, half of the numbers already dialed to the Takenouchi residence. He clicked the off button, and the numbers cleared away.

Matt still harbored deep feelings for Sora, but he knew she was growing distant. She had always been the practical one; the one who refused to be left behind, even if it cost her pain. But now, Matt wasn't sure what to do. When ever he had free time, he immediately called Sora and a date was made. Recently, she had declined several of his offers, claiming that she had was busy. Matt supposed he couldn't blame her for not wanting to stick around and wait for him, but still.

Matt leaned backwards so he was staring up at the ceiling again. His eyes closed.

He couldn't blame their relationship for being in a rut; he and Sora were changing as they prepared for adulthood, and now they had to decide to become serious or end their fun little courtship. The blond knew he would never mind marrying Sora-she was hardworking, faithful, and dedicated. All attributes that he liked.

But they were still young, and marriage wasn't an option at the moment.

Sighing, Matt drifted into uneven sleep.

* * *

Next dawn brought an unusual morning for Sora. She still seemed in a daze, going through the motions, but like she wasn't there. At one point, she looked up in the mirror and was alarmed by her dead look. Dark, purple bags hung from under eyes and her hair was in clumps, they were _never_ like that.

Sora smoothed out her hair with a brush, and applied some cover up makeup under her eyes. It did little to help, and she felt clumsy in the stuff. She couldn't explain the unusual appearance in the first place. It looked like she hadn't even slept.

But, she had, hadn't she? Sora shook her head in wonder. She couldn't remember any dreams, or staying awake. With a sigh, she doused her face in cold water, removing any signs of makeup.

Today was going to be hectic, Sora decided as she walked to school. She was legally able to drive, but chose not to. She wore her backpack and shouldered her tennis bag on one arm. Right now, she was busy thinking of possible excuses for her appearance. She wasn't into lying, and this time she was trying to find something to give herself as well.

Something changed just then, and she couldn't explain it.

Sora halted, staring off to the side of the pathway. Her bags slipped from her, sagging to the ground as papers spilled out. Sora noticed none of this.

What had caught her attention was an animated billboard that flashed signs at people's requests. The sign read as so:

'**Sora Takenouchi. We wait for you. Do not run, for there is no where to hide. Do not scream, for there is no one to hear you. We will meet soon, and all your doubts will disappear.**'

Sora blinked. The message was gone, replaced by an ad for vacuum cleaners. But Sora kept watching it, staring open mouthed.

In the distant, a bell sounded, bringing Sora from her daze. She cursed repeatedly as she seized the fallen papers, stuffing them in her backpack as she broke out in a run to the high school. Great. Now she was late.

* * *

Being forced to wait outside the classroom was not the ideal way to start the school day. Plus it was for Mr. Toshi's class, and he refused to even look at tardies. Sora felt exhausted, and slumped to the ground. She really did feel like she hadn't gotten any sleep.

Muffling a groan, her hands covered her face while she continued her prolonged wait.

"Sora?"

Sora glanced up as a familiar female voice greeted her. It was Kari Kamiya. She held a blue slip in her hand, which meant a note to the office. Humiliation washed over the older girl as she stared at the youngest Kamiya.

"Oh. Kari. Um, hi."

Kari held out her hand, and Sora accepted it as she was pulled to her feet. "Were you late?"

"Kind of. Well, yes." Sora admitted, holding her hands up sheepishly. "I was- ah- caught off guard this morning."

Now that she was standing, Kari could see exactly what Sora had been through. "Jeez, Sora! You look awful, did you sleep at all?"

"Of course I did! It just apparently did not help at all." Sora snapped back, but softened the retort then.

"To be frank, Sora, you look like hell." So maybe Kari was related to Tai. "I have to run this to the office, but meet me in the front hallway just after class gets out." Yep, definitely related to Tai. Sora had seen that determined glint only one other time.

"Yes, ma'am." Sora mumbled as Kari walked off. She turned her head, watching the younger girl. The high school demanded that uniforms be worn, and they now looked bulky and unusual on the younger group. Sora chuckled under her breath, knowing the uniforms would be grown in to by next year.

* * *

It was thirty minutes later when the bell finally rang, and Sora quickly made her way down the hallway. Mr. Toshi had called in her into the classroom for the last five minutes of class, and told her in a very serious tone that if she were late again, detention. He wasn't usually this tolerant, but he had a soft spot for Sora.

Well. Wasn't she lucky.

But right now, she really needed to get to the freshman hallway. Sora had decided about twenty three seconds ago to tell Kari everything and hope the fifteen year old could help her. Kari had experience in certain areas, and what she did lack, she made up for with knowledge. The opposite of Izzy's.

Practically flying down the hallway, Sora nearly slammed into someone who jumped out in front of her. She skidded to a stop, nearly doing a face-plant, had the person not caught her arm.

"Sora, come quick!"

It was the unusually panicky voice of Daisuke Motomiya. Sora was immediately on edge. Not much could make Davis sound like that.

"Lets go then," she replied, giving him a shove and he took off running, Sora close behind.

The two worked their way through the crowd, each step a loud thud by her heart, which was already racing away as she held her breath. What could have possibly gone wrong?

The answer was found once she and Davis were in the courtyard, shoving through a crowd of people. Sora recognized none of them. In the center of a circle, a boy was laying down on his back, eyes closed, and looking deathly pale. Sora knelt beside him, feeling for a pulse.

There was none.

Briefly, she closed her eyes, recounting her seventh grade health class- CPR and what not. Then she snapped into action.

"Someone get the nurse, _now_." She shouted, her hands already on the victim's body. She rested them over his heart and shoved down hard fifteen times. No reaction. Without pausing, she leaned over and pushed air into his mouth, then settled her head on his chest. Nothing.

Growing desperate, she repeated the process. When nothing happened again, she hollered. A couple of students had ran off, trying to find the alleged nurse, but no one had returned yet. By now, though, the crowd had grown as all eyes were on Sora.

Gasping, Sora felt like an ice cube had been slipped into her body and she shivered as the cold touch filled her head. Blinking, she looked up, realizing that everyone was fading away. Blackness over took her. Soon, it was only her and the fallen boy.

"**We told you not to scream.**"

Sora flinched at the voice, so familiar, yet so far away. She wrapped her arms together, rubbing them with the opposite hand in a weak attempt to warm up. All of her senses seemed to be shutting down.

"**We will not kill this time, but be wary of your decisions. We are always watching. Always listening.**" The voice was throaty, slightly deep. It began to fade as sight returned to Sora. "**Be careful, Sora Takenouchi.**"

Before Sora could find a suitable reaction, the fallen boy suddenly sat up, rolling to his side and gagging. He spit out a piece of gum that had caused the problem.

Sora was jostled back as students surged forward. The nurse appeared then, ordering everyone back. By now, Sora was at the back of the crowd; no one seemed to notice her lapse. Turning on her heel, she fled from the scene, running even faster than when she had arrived.

After a while, she was forced to stop, as her lungs where screaming, and collapsed into a convenient park bench. Her hands were already covering her face as she leaned her elbows forward on her knees. A sob escaped from her, but she wrestled any further ones back. Eventually, she leaned back against the bench, her eyes bloodshot from unshed tears.

What had happened?

She had saved the boy. No. She had been the one to nearly kill him because she wanted to tell of the strange message she had received that morning. It had happened again, and this time she had run from school, leaving all of her things behind. She had no idea what to do now.

Realization came to Sora.

She knew the reason for her lack of sleep. She had dreamed last night. But it had been a dream of complete darkness.


	2. Downhill

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

**DOWNHILL  
**

Once able to stop herself from shaking, Sora removed herself from the park bench, taking the path that led further into the park. It would be pretty obvious she should still be in school (uniform not withstanding). She decided if it came down to it, she would lie and say it was a free day and she had forgotten. But as Sora made her way down the winding walkway, her eyes looked left, right, straight ahead. She was looking for any other sign similar to the earlier ones. She was left feeling more confused and retreated to another bench, this time placed within a garden.

Her cell phone rang just then, and wearily, Sora pulled it out. She wasn't looking forward to this. Not checking the caller I.D., she answered.

"Hello?"

"Sora! Where the hell are you? It's lunch and Davis only just told me what happened this morning." Tai's loud voice came out of the top piece of the phone and Sora tilted it away. Her friend could be very loud sometimes.

"Oh, hey Tai."

She heard an exasperated sigh. "Come on, Sora, what happened? It's not like you to freak out over some kid passing out. You've seen worse and met it bravely."

Damn. How do you lie to a best friend? "It was just a little more than I could handle this time, okay? You don't need to jump down my throat."

"Jeez, sorry," he replied, sounding embarrassed. "I've just never heard of you acting like that. Davis' memory isn't that bad, so I believe what he said."

"Yeah, sorry, too. I didn't mean to snap at you." She sighed. "Everything has just been a bit stressful at the moment with tests and-and college acceptance papers coming in and-"

"Sora?" Tai interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Did you get accepted into college?"

"…Yes." She could almost see the big smile that appeared on his face at the news, unless he was horrified. She played nervously with her skirt.

"Sora, that's great! Why didn't you say anything until now?" He sounded elated. "I know just what you need, to take a break from everything. You're coming to the Digiworld."

"Oh, Tai, I can't. I have so much studying, I can't miss out on any time."

He pressed on. "Don't be like that, you love the Digital World, seeing Biyomon and having a new adventure. You haven't been in so long, none of us have. Come on, say yes."

Just imagining that adorable face pleading to her made her cave. "Okay, okay. I'll come. On one condition, though."

"Yeah? Let's hear it."

Sora pressed the phone closer to her face. "Don't tell anyone about me being accepted into college."

Tai was silent for a moment before agreeing. "I can do that. Can you at least tell me what you want to major in then? I'm curious since you were getting all of those tennis scholarships. We might end up going to the same school!"

Sora closed her eyes. "Fashion. Got to go, bye." She snapped the phone shut quickly, too polite to end a conversation without saying goodbye. She placed the wireless object in her pocket (something boys were still amazed to see in a skirt). She curled up on the hard bench, closing her eyes.

Mentally, she began comparing Tai to Matt. She liked both of the boys-still did-but Matt was more mature and thoughtful. Tai, on the other hand, looked like he would never loose his boyish features of plunging in without a plan, but he was the first to risk himself if it meant saving friends. Matt was more absorbed with his band, wanting to go the whole way, while Tai… really didn't seem to have anything he wanted. Besides soccer.

Sora had chosen Matt in the end, when he had returned interest. When Tai did the same, Sora had already committed to going after Matt. She couldn't have switched.

But now…staying with Matt in a relationship that was kept lively and fresh was becoming a chore. She was tired of waiting around for him to be free and adjusting her schedule when it was convenient for Matt to fit Sora in. Tai wouldn't be like that.

Sora shifted, opening her eyes. God, what a bitch she would be if she dumped Matt then chased after his best friend. But then, she didn't want to stay in a relationship that she was unhappy in. Unhappy with herself at the moment, Sora sat up, pulling out her phone again. She had to know if all this trouble was worth it.

She checked the time first. One thirty, that meant he would in class or practice and wouldn't answer his phone. Sora dialed the number.

"Hey, Matt, it's me Sora. Listen, can we talk? I just feel really confused right now and I think we need to talk things out. If-if you're not busy at four, come meet me at my house." Sora clicked the end message, feeling slightly silly for making the message dramatic.

Now she needed to get herself home. Her mother wouldn't be home soon and think Sora would be at tennis practice-

"Ah, crap. I left all my things at school." Grumbling to herself, she stood up and made way out of the park. No way could she sneak back into school and get out again; all for the sake of getting her things. Sora kicked at a rock on the path and watched it land just in front of two pairs of feet. She looked up, immediately feeling awkward when she saw a man and his wife kissing. Beside them was a baby carriage. Sora shuffled away quickly.

With the couple behind her, the teenager felt even more depressed about her situation. She was in a rut with her boyfriend, some stranger was sending her freaky messages, and she was having thoughts about her best friend. What a day.

* * *

Tai closed his phone after several moments of silence to see if Sora really had hung up. That was weird. He brushed a hand through his thick hair and pushed open the bathroom door.

When he had been the first to come to the usual lunch table, he knew something was up with Sora. She was never late. Not with all of those lessons her mother was giving her. Tai didn't envy her there, but he couldn't help but admire Sora even more.

_Stop it! You promised yourself to back off. She's Matt's girl. No way could you hurt your best friend like that. _Agumon had called Tai mature when he allowed Sora past him to get closer to Matt, but that didn't mean Tai had to give up. He had been very good not to make any moves on Sora when he knew she and Matt were having a downfall. Even if they did breakup, he would look like a jerk for asking Sora out right away. If Matt and Sora separated, their relationship was one that would reinstate itself again once a few things were worked out. That left Tai with a very little amount of time to get himself in the picture.

He stopped himself there. He was just getting pointlessly excited, setting up for disappointment when Sora and Matt figured out they still had something for each other and would love the other even more.

Tai clenched a fist. He turned around and slammed it into the nearest locker. He followed up by banging his head into it in frustration.

"Dammit," he said in a low voice. "Matt needs to get his act together and notice that Sora needs help. Something's really bothering her if she runs away from school." He lifted his head, looking over his shoulder out into the nearby courtyard.

Tai shoved his hands into his pockets and walked outside. He remembered earlier that day a kid had passed out her (the news had spread like wildfire), but it was clear of people at the moment. All the hallways were empty, really, since everyone was either enjoying lunch or in class.

In the center of the yard were two bags. Tai stooped over and picked them up, starting when he noticed 'Takenouchi Sora' etched on both of them. He saw that they were her school and tennis bag.

"Sora…"

* * *

Wiping sweat off his face, Matt nodded to his band. "That was great guys. I think we'll really have _To the End_ down. Take the rest of the day off."

The other members began packing up their instruments, talking about nothing in particular. One of them, Lee, walked over to Matt. He looked sheepish.

"What's up, Lee?" Matt asked as he flipped closed his guitar case.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to say thanks for the time off. I've been wanting to take Susie out to a nice dinner for some time now, but never had the right time." He grinned half-heartedly. "Time to remind her that I'm still here."

"No problem, man," Matt called after him as Lee walked away. He was about to clasp the case closed when he realized he should do the same with his girlfriend. Grinning as a plan came to mind, he pulled out his phone. It was only an hour after school had gotten out so maybe Sora wouldn't have any plans.

Matt stopped, surprised to see that he had a voice message. He clicked on it and held it up to his ear.

"…_not busy at four, come meet me at my house_." The message ended, but Matt still felt awful. Had he really neglected Sora so much she was ready to call it quits?

He swallowed and checked the time. Three thirty. He would have to book it to get there in time.

Thirty minutes later indeed, the slightly breathless Ishida had reached Sora's house. It was rather nicely decorated with flowers that never seemed to die. Matt himself keeled over for a minute before straightening up and ringing the doorbell. He tried to think of what to say, but in a matter of seconds, the door was flung open and he caught his first glimpse of an estranged Sora.

"Can we take a walk?" She sounded tired and not over thrilled at the idea.

Matt nodded. "Yeah."

They started down a quiet path that wrapped behind Sora's house to a small pond. A tiny bench had been placed there and it was here that the two teenagers sat down. Sora twisted in her seat to face Matt.

"I hope it wasn't troublesome to come here," she began slowly, "but I really need to talk to you. I've been feeling so off today. Thoughts coming forward that I would have never considered before. And," Sora smiled softly, "big changes like going to college."

Matt sat up. "Sora, that's great!"

She nodded. "But not what I want to talk about. The thing is, we're nearly adults. And it's time to make our futures. I've really enjoyed being with you and everyone else, but it's time for me to pursue my own interests outside of the Digital World. That's not a future."

"How can you say that with everything we've through?" Matt was shocked that Sora had concluded this. She was ending her relationship and friendship for the sake of her future that she didn't even know yet? "I don't agree. The Digital World is expanding, it needs us still." His voice fell a bit. "And why do we need to end?"

"The Digimon need fresh people, not washed up Digidestined who are growing old. I'll never stop going there, but right now I have other priorities. And I don't think we're going anywhere. You're always busy with your band, which is great and all, but I don't feel the spark anymore. I'm tired of waiting around, not knowing what's going on." She stood up. "I'm sorry, Matt, but we're through."

Matt stood up, dazed. "You're not even going to me a chance to make this right? Sora, I can fix-"

"There's nothing left, Matt!" She shouted, tears welling up in her eyes, enough that she had to look away. "Just leave me alone!"

Silence, and then only the sound of Matt's retreating footsteps. She turned slightly to see him leave as a burning feeling grew in her stomach. Her eyes appeared to darken and she felt the presence of another being brush her mind.

"**Well done, my dear. With Matt out of the way, life will come so much easier to you. But do not pursue others. Stick with your promises and drive away the other Chosen Children. Do not visit the Digital World. Most of all, take down Kamiya.**"

As per custom, the voice left without any further instructions, leaving Sora more empty than when it had arrived. The Voice had told her to cut away any interactions with the others and out of fear of them being harmed, Sora had obeyed, first by ending her relationship with Matt. That hadn't been her intentions when she had left the message earlier, until the Voice had made it so.

Sora crouched next to the pond, watching fish dart around. She spoke quietly to them to calm herself. "He promised he would kill next time. What else was I supposed to do? I don't know what this is yet, but my friends will understand when it's all over." She rose to her feet to go back to the house, but paused, looking down at the fish. "I just hope it ends."

Sora felt on the verge of more tears as she collapsed onto her bed and curled up into a ball. She let one sob escape and held back others as her vision blurred. Another scrape on her mind made her want to scream as the Voice returned.

"**I have directions for the Kamiya. Listen closely and follow: Kamiya has learned of your current state and is on his way over. He argues pointlessly with himself about having romantic feelings. He is trying to point out he is being a good friend. This is where you come in.**" Sora barely had any time to register this news before her instructions came.

"**You will seduce Kamiya in any way. Make him believe he stands a chance of being your mate**"-she twitched at the word-"**It will not be hard as he has waged a war over chasing after you for years. Bring him close and then cut him off. Completely.**"

Her lips barely moved. "How far do I bring him in?"

"**So that he is in no way obligated to go home.**" Sora was given the feeling he would have smiled sadistically. She felt him fade away.

Sora stood up quickly, wiping off the unshed tears as she walked to her closet, pulling out a sexy lingerie outfit that she had been given to by Mimi to "use when needed." She had had ideas to use it on Matt, but the right time had never come. Not until now-with Tai.

She quickly shed her clothes and slipped on the skimpy outfit, pulling sweatpants and a t-shirt over it. Sora made way to the bathroom, brushing her hair and slipping on the makeup she was sworn to never use. Only the thought that Tai might die kept her from breaking down at what she had to use.

Sora finished applying the cosmetics and took a step back. "Well, hell, worst case scenario I end up loving the whole thing and it's going to suck to end it so fast." She spoke bitterly. However, she had little time for cynical thoughts (the opposite of her normal appearance) when her ears pricked. The doorbell had been rung.

Sora counted out a minute carefully, and had thought to brush her eyes with the slightest bit of water to add to her looking upset. Only then did she fling the door open to a sheepish Tai. Without even pausing to think as she usually did, Sora threw herself at him.

"Oh, Tai! Thank God your hear. I-I need someone to talk to," she sobbed into his shoulder.

Tai felt confused, but wrapped his arms around her, feeling a protectiveness settle over him. Not to mention, a new sweeping love for her. "Shh, Sora. Tell me what happened." He pulled her along with him into the house, closing the door behind him. He tried to be a gentlemen and not openly stare at her breasts, which seemed to have grown (in reality, they had been hyped up by the lingerie).

Pulling back a bit, Sora looked up Tai earnestly. "Matt found out what had happened with me today and said he was skipping band practice to take care of me. I was s-so touched, I haven't seen him in a long time it feels like. I thought I could get all dressed up to show my appreciation. B-but when he got here, he said he didn't want a girlfriend who couldn't fend for herself. I t-t-think he found someone better!"

"What? That asshole!" Tai growled, clutching Sora closer to him. "I'll kill him for this."

Sora felt deeply guilty for tearing a whole between Matt and Tai with a fake story. Matt would never do something like this to her, and Tai would realize this when he was alone.

Settling her sniffles, Sora again retreated from Tai's embrace, able to fully gauge how angry he was. "Would you like to see what I had planned for him? I keep thinking I'm flawed for the way he dumped me so easily."

Tai cleared his throat, trying to suppress his raging emotions that were peaking out now that he was so close to her. "I don't think you're flawed, Sora."

She smiled softly back at him, taking his hand and leading him to her room. "My mom would kill if she saw." She released his hand and Tai turned to close the door. "I hope I don't disappoint." She slipped off the sweatpants first, and then wrangled off the shirt. She looked up at Tai (who had grown progressively taller than her). "Is it really that bad?"

Testosterone ran strong. Tai was amazed how emotions so unused could suddenly go crazy. He moved forward quickly, brushing his hands over her arms. "Sora, you are…beyond beautiful."

"You think so?"

He leaned in closer. "I always have." He brushed his lips against hers. A slight realization came upon the teenager and he dropped back. "I'm sorry."

Sora seemed unfazed, in fact, very hopeful. "I didn't tell you to stop."

The two fell upon each other then, pushing up against the wall and kissing extraordinarily. Sora convinced herself that if she had to play the part convincingly, she had to think she was really in love with him. She pushed herself harder into him.

An hour had passed when the two laid back on Sora's bed, sweating heavily. Tai leaned over, easing himself on top and kissing her gently. Their clothes were strayed out on the floor, the sheets on the bed twisted underneath them. A smile played upon Tai's lips as he rested his forward on Sora's.

Sora felt even more lost. She had thought she was merely playing a part to keep Tai from death, but she had loved being naked with him and performing moves that were always censored in cinemas. Laughing now, she pushed her hands against Tai's chest to get him to move. He obeyed, but kept an arm laid out across her stomach.

Sora shifted to her side to face him, not bothering to hide her pleasure or interest in his body. She ran her hands across his chest, wrapping them up around his neck. Her voice was low, sexy when she spoke. "You stick that thing any harder in me and it's not going to come out."

He grinned back. "Sorry, but you make me go crazy. I got excited and the whole thing just came out."

"Mm. Maybe I'm not too upset." She rand her hands down his back, over his ass and back up. She could get used to this.

"You don't get to have all the fun," Tai breathed into her ear, placing his own palms on her tender areas, that was sore from such rough treatment.

Sora laughed again, moving so she was flat on her back. Tai was lean from years of hard soccer. Sora was similar, but not so much. Girls could be physical in soccer, but to a lesser extent than boys. Plus, Sora hadn't played in a couple of years. Her laugh was cut off by the sound of an opening door and "Sora?"

"Oh, shit," she growled, pushing Tai off and sitting up. She whipped her head around to her own door, willing her mother not to open it. "You have to leave-now!" She grabbed his clothes from the floor and shoved them at Tai. Astounded, he pulled them on, nearly falling in his haste. Sora did the same, but had to slip on her school uniform.

It was too late to sneak out and they would have to play it 'cool.' The two grabbed the sheets on the bed and made it up, Sora fretful since her bed was always perfect, much to the pleasure of her mother. As she moved to the other side, Tai snatched her up for a second, leaving a parting kiss with her.

"I hope this makes up for your crap day."

"Oh, Sora?" Mrs. Takenouchi's voice was just outside the room as Tai and Sora sprang into suitable friend positions. Mrs. Takenouchi pulled open the door, smiling to her daughter and looking politely surprised at seeing Tai. "Hello, Taichi. I didn't know you were here. Will you be staying for dinner?"

Sora answered for him. "No, he has to do some studying for a test. He just wanted to make sure on a couple of things." Tai nodded his agreement.

"In that case, I wish you well on your test, Taichi. Dinner in thirty minutes, Sora." She left as Tai stood up. The two followed behind her until they reached the front door.

Sora reached over and took his hands in her own. "Thank you. I really did need some cheering up. Today has just been all over the place."

"Don't worry about it. I'm always here to rescue the damsel. I will see you tomorrow, Sora." He squeezed her hands a moment longer before departing.

As the door closed, Sora wrapped her arms over her stomach, crouching low to the floor as tears finally fell. Somehow, she would have to break it off with Tai.

* * *

The next day brought little condolences to Sora as she dressed. She had hid away the lingerie, too ashamed to think of everything it did, and still could do. She had loved each moment with Tai and it made her feel sick to think of what she must do now. The Voice hadn't returned, but she could feel it brushing her conscious as a reminder.

Sora drove to school that day, stopping in her barely used parking spot. She carried only her school bag, as tennis practice was canceled due to their trainer being sick.

It was difficult to keep her spirits up now as her goal for today would be to ignore all of the Digidestined. Shouldn't be too hard. Right?

As she walked into the school, she felt eyes bore into her and knew it was Tai. She bent her head and walked on. There were no footsteps following her and Sora assumed it was because Matt was in the near vicinity. The real test, though, came at lunch. Sora looked around carefully and spotted a group of girl friends that had an extra seat. She plopped down in it and joined in the conversation animatedly, leaving no time for awkward questions.

But Sora knew they were watching her. All of them. All of the Digidestined. Sora ignored them.

She left lunch with a couple of minutes to spare and knew it was time to face Tai. In a matter of a seconds he had caught up to her.

"Sora?"

She spun around and glared at him. "What, Tai? _What do you need now?_"

Tai looked startled. "Well, we kind of had sex. And I thought that meant-"

"It meant nothing, Tai. Look, I was upset over Matt. It's not my fault my emotions were unstable. If anything, you should ashamed for taking advantage of me."

Tai was now positively upset. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was just looking to help when I came over."

"Save it," she spat at him. "I told Matt this, and I'm telling you this: it's over for me and the Digital World. I'm tired of devoting my life to something that doesn't even exist. I'm going to college and have potential for a damn great future. You and everyone else are getting in the way."

Tai stared back at her, his eyes sad but unable to say anything. He stepped back, never removing his eyes from hers.

About to lose it and break down, Sora spun on her heel and marched off, wishing in some way that Tai could see the tear slipping down her face.

_Maybe he'll forgive me when he realizes I did it to save his life._


	3. Caught in a Web

**THE LINK**

Reviews:

To answer a question in one of the reviews. :)

**TaioraWarrior:** It will be switching back and forth for a while, but in the end it will be decided between Sorato or Tairora coupling. (Technically, I'm not allowed to give anything away but I would keep reading if I were you…)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

**CAUGHT IN A WEB  
**

By the end of the week, Sora felt an impending void around her. It was all she could do to keep a smile plastered on her face when her mother was looking. Mostly she just felt awful for cutting herself away from her friends. It was too bad they couldn't see it was killing her. Sora, however, knew if she ever had the chance to talk to one of them, she would break done completely and spill everything. Equaling death for that person.

It didn't help when several sources told her that the lower classman Inoue was stalking around the school for her chance to confront Sora. In truth, Yolei had felt particularly hurt by Sora's cold shoulder, and the only way she could it out was through violence on the person who had harmed her. Sora herself had no idea if she could throw a punch if it came to it. But with Yolei's threat, came promises from friends that she wouldn't get near Sora.

She attempted to distract herself using tennis and ikebana. She did poorly at both. The other tennis players did there best not to point out all of Sora's flaws, as every athlete has their off day. Mrs. Takenouchi was less understanding, still unaware of her daughter's demise.

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I can't give this to my Mrs. Sachu." Mrs. Takenouchi had frowned at the arranged flowers, shaking her head. "There's no technique to this at all." She then reached down with a hand, plucking of the flowers and showed Sora the stem. "You must be gentle with the flowers, not hasty or rough."

It had taken every will in Sora's body not to scream at her mother for her being too critical. She had instead excused herself as soon as possible and ran to her room.

Perhaps the worst thing of all was knowing that she couldn't visit Biyomon, the one being who truly and completely understood Sora. Who was also out of reach. Sora and Biyomon had been through a lot together, never leaving the other's side. Sora could still remember the first time they had bonded. It had been in the Yokomon village, they were under attack by a crazed Meramon. Biyomon Digivolved for the first time, thus saving everyone. But that was a long time ago.

Finally, the weekend came around. Her phone rang alarmingly early. Sora clicked it on without checking to see who it was. "Hello?"

"Oh! Um, is this-is this Sora Takenouchi?" The voice sounded surprised and in the background there was a buzz of voices.

Instant fear hit Sora and she was awake. The phone dropped from her hand and it was all she could do to hit the end button, stopping the call. She pulled the sheets up around her, trying to keep from shaking. The voice on the line had been Joe Kido.

Guilt crept into Sora as she wondered if even this brief contact could cause injury to Joe, who, ironically, was the doctor of the group. There was a brush against her mind, but other than that, nothing.

Sora stepped from her bed, dressing quickly. In a matter of minutes she found herself at a loss for how to spend her Saturday. Normally the kids would be free and head to the Digital World and Sora would tag along, but she couldn't now. The teenager stared down at her oatmeal, honestly wondering if this 'threat' was real, or if she was ruining everything.

She dropped her spoon to the bowl, shoving back her chair angrily. "Dammit, when will this end? What's the point of terrorizing me if you don't do anything with it?" She stomped back to her room, rifling through a drawer and pulling out the Digivice that occupied the spot. "I'm going. I don't care what anyone says."

The snap into her mind was agonizing. Enough so to drop Sora to the floor and have her clutch her head. "**Sora Takenouchi. We have warned you. Your insolence is costing you. But you will be going to the other side-only, on our accords. Follow everything that is said and **_**you**_** will live.**"

Trembling, Sora could barely bring herself to nod slightly in acceptance.

"**Good. But you won't be needing your Digivice. Nor a computer to get there. We will take care of that.**"

Sora's hand seemed to open automatically, releasing the tiny gizmo. The pain faded, and she was able to open her eyes. She wasn't in her room anymore, and there was only the sound of dripping water to fill her ears. Sora straightened herself up, dropping her hands down and gazing around at the blackness. It was in it's purest form, as it hurt her eyes to look into just darkness.

She had little time to enjoy such "peacefulness" as a roar of sound returned to her before the world shaped itself around her. Dimly, Sora wondered if the theory of sound traveling faster than light occurred here, too. She stood up on weak legs, trying to place where she was. Clearly it was the Digital World with soft, untouched grass underfoot and trees unshaken by humans. Rolling hills surrounded the girl, along with wandering groups of Digimon, having no reason to be fearful. Sora felt an ache enter her stomach, as though the peace was too come to an end and be her fault.

_I wonder where Biyomon or the others are_, she thought distantly as she decided to trudge up the hill, rather than down. She stood tall at the top, shielding her eyes from the sun as she continued looking around. Sora definitely did not recognize this area.

A piercing trumpet noise filled the air, followed by numerous others. Before her eyes a group of Mammothmon came over the rise, walking straight towards Sora, who had the sense to get out of their way. She ducked behind a boulder, and before long, settled down to watch the herd as they fanned out, grazing.

Several of the smaller, younger Mammothmon romped around their mothers playfully. The males soon set to challenging one another in a game of strength. The intent wasn't to fight or kill, just test each other. One pair was particularly fierce, each refusing to give. They soon had the attention of most of the herd. As Sora continued to watch, one of the Mammothmon slipped slightly, allowing the other to slip his tusk in and push his rival to the ground. The victor put his trunk to the sky, trumpeting proudly over his accomplishment.

A glow enveloped the Digimon as he Digivolved. Sora was surprised a Digimon could Digivolve just from winning a contest, but waited in anticipation to see his new form. It still resembled a mammoth, with dark purple fanned ears and gold metal covering it's face, tusks, and trunk. His body was wholly bones with a red sphere inside the rib cage.

Now everyone swarmed around the SkullMammothmon, each congratulating him. The leader of the herd, also SkullMammothmon, showed particular pride in the new one. He too drew up his trunk and sang of the achievement.

Sora watched the herd, filled with a sense of calm. She halfheartedly wished she could have been born a Mammothmon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a Mammothmon lift his head, his ears twitching. He was the farthest from the herd and on sentry duty. Something troubled him now as he swung his head back in forth. He finally found what he was looking for, letting out the loudest screech that was possible and charging back to the herd in apparent fright.

The Mammothmon took off, not hesitating. In a matter of seconds, it was truly a stampede. Sora could only watch in confusion, looking back over to where the sentry was. Across the plains ran what must have been hundreds of Dobermon, Seasarmon, Sangloupmon, and Cerberumon. In the lead of the dog pack was Sphinxmon.

Mammothmon were in a frenzy, inadvertently slowing their escape and leaving them to their deaths. Tears slipped down Sora as she watched the dog Digimon tear apart the herd. She kept her eyes glued to Sphinxmon as he dodged the panicked, targeting the Mega level SkullMammothmon.

The newly evolved one turned arrogantly toward him. Sora wanted to scream for him to run. The SkullMammothmon charged, while Sphinxmon crouched, clearly ready for an attack. SkullMammothmon ran straight into him, but Sphinxmon was able to hold his own ground. Seeming to grow bored he jumped back several feet. Both Digimon prepared to charge in now. As they neared the other, Sphinxmon steered right, turning quickly and ramming into SkullMammothmon. The Digimon stunned, Sphinxmon tore into his shoulder with his claws and running SkullMammothmon to the ground. Sphinxmon narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth and releasing an aura of dark energy, thus ending SkullMammothmon.

The battle was basically over when but five Mammothmon remained, circled by growling Dobermon. The leader of the Mammothmon herd was one of the reaming, and his head moved back and forth, watching the dogs. Sphinxmon seemed to speak few words as suddenly all of the dogs ran forward, lathering for a chance to tear the Mammothmons' flesh.

Sora dropped behind the boulder, covering her ears to block out the screams and barks. When she thought it was over, she peeked over the rock, starting to see Sphinxmon standing just in front of her. He took powerful steps around the boulder so he could face Sora fully. He towered over the girl.

"You are the human they have been speaking of." His voice was slow and strong, majestic, no sign of glory or sadness at what he had done. "My masters have been impatient with you, but I did not expect to find you here."

"Why did you do it?" Sora felt a trickle of her old courage enter her.

Sphinxmon lowered his head. "Do what, human?"

"Kill them. The Mammothmon. Why?"

"Oh, them? They have been a nuisance and think they may roam and do whatever they please without consequences." Sphinxmon merely blinked his red eyes.

"What's wrong with wanting to be free? This is the Digital World, everything is free!" She growled back at him.

"Hmph. It's no wonder I have failed to set my eyes on you soft creatures. You are unknown to this portion of the world. Nothing is free. Power and strength are what make one rich. Those Mammothmon were new to the area and refused to acknowledge my masters as rulers. They were punished." He looked up. "Now their filthy data ruins the air. Necessary though."

"Where the hell am I then? This isn't the Digital World I know." Sora stood up on wobbly legs, trying to appear stronger.

Sphinxmon looked her directly in the eye. "You are in the last area untouched and uncorrupted by the hands of humans. Digimon here have only heard of the horror and sorrow you creatures spread. If not for my masters speaking of you, I would kill you right this moment. But you will come with me." He arched forward, shoving Sora down to the other Digimon. She tripped and stumbled the whole way.

In the end, Sora was given a ride on the back of a disgruntled Seasarmon. They were surrounded on all sides by Cerberumon as they ran-not walked-back to their 'masters'. Trepidation entered Sora, as she knew these were the same ones who had been speaking to her.

* * *

It was nightfall when Sphinxmon and the Seasarmon crossed the drawbridge into the gray, broken looking castle. The hundred other Digimon had detached into their distinguished groups and gone in a separate direction further into the wood.

The corridors were silent as Sphinxmon led the way. Wide double doors swung open as he approached them. Seasarmon balked nervously at entering the chamber and Sora could feel his shivers. Sphinxmon stopped halfway into the room and bowed deeply.

A hoarse voice, very familiar to Sora, spoke from in front of them. "You have succeeded, we presume? What is the casualty count?"

Sphinxmon rose. "Forty in all, my Lords. Twenty-five Seasarmon, ten Dobermon, and five Sangloupmon."

"Good, very good." Sora couldn't see how this was a good thing. "Ah, we see you have brought us something else. Who may it be?"

"A human, my Lords. We found her hiding after we took out the herd. I thought she might be yours."

"She very well may be, for we brought a human to our land today, but lost her on the way here. We had hopes she was nearby. Step forward, my girl."

Sora slid from Seasarmon, facing the Digimon who had plagued her thoughts for a week. (Had it only been that long?) Her eyes narrowed as she tried to penetrate the darkness that refused to cease.

"Sora Takenouchi, yes, it is you all right. This is most pleasing. But do not wear yourself out trying to find us, for you shall not see me until we wish it upon you." He laughed.

Sora pressed her lips together, thinking of what to say. "Why do you want _me_?"

She heard a heavy, weary sigh. "My Dear, we have been watching you 'Digidestined' ever since you entered this world. We saw you form a team, unmatched with anything around here. We watched as you traveled from place to place, changing the land and leaving prints of your existence. We knew when Apocalymon was killed that we never wanted to see you here. So we sealed off this sacred land, hiding it from your eyes and technology. But Digimon were allowed to enter, those wanting to also remain untouched by their hands.

"Then the second generation came and again we grew fearful. They were an even more ignorant group, wrecking this world even more. They attempted to fix it, but it meant nothing to us. We knew then we had to dissemble the group. However, we had to find the one human who would be best for the job. We thought of Kamiya or Motomiya, but we told ourselves it had been done before where the leaders are taken.

"We focused on you next, Sora. We replayed moments from your first venture here and saw that it was truly you who had kept the team together through love and compassion. Encouragement and hidden power. Unfortunately, plans to take you were delayed at a rising, shall we call it, disagreement among the Digimon. It took several years to quell, and by then, our chances at saving my companions were nearly gone. We worked quickly and, we am quite proud to say, accomplished everything needed within a week."

Sora felt numb, rooted to the spot. It couldn't be.

"Sphinxmon," the voice continued, "take her to the Room. You know the process by now."

Sphinxmon bowed again, twisting to face the door. Sora had regained mobility, and refused to move. "Wait. Why does everyone refer to you plurally? And why talk that way when I hear only when voice?"

"Because we are too great to be one being. And in case you need a name to refer to me as, call us Kingsmon. Now leave."

Sphinxmon growled a warning, shoving Sora to the doors, which again opened at will. The Mega level led her through many passages, ending at the smallest door. Sora had tried to block out any fear and memorize the path, but it was too complicated and she couldn't keep up. Now Sphinxmon turned to her.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't apologize later for being rough." Then he jumped at her.

* * *

By some miracle, almost the whole gang had made it out into the Digital World that day. The sun was bright with cheerful clouds. The Digimon galloped around playing with each other and their Partners. A short distance away was a calm lake, waves slopping onto the shore from a slight breeze.

Tai was crouched by the lake, bringing up water to his parched lips. He sighed, dropping the rest of his handful back into the water and sitting back. Beside him was ever loyal Agumon. The dinosaur-lizard looked over at his designated Partner.

"Tai, why don't you want to join the others? Everyone looks like they're having fun." He sounded confused.

"No thanks, Agumon. You can go, but I just-want to stay here."

Agumon shook his head, plopping down next to Tai. "Nah, I like being with you. I never get see you anymore, though."

Tai blinked at the dinosaur. "Sorry, but the other world has to come first. But you know you'll never be replaced."

The Digimon smiled. "I sure hope not!"

Tai flashed a grin back at him. It faded quickly. Agumon tilted his head in confusion. "Something wrong, Tai?"

He ran a hand through his hair before angrily picking up a stone and hurdling it into the water. "Something's up with Sora. She's completely blocked out the group and won't talk to us." His gaze darkened. "I can't decide if she's hurt me or I've hurt her."

Agumon stood up, facing Tai with a sense of urgency. "I thought we talked about this already. She's with Matt and sometimes it hurts but we have to do what's right."

Tai got up as well, turning his back on the Digimon. "I know what we talked about, Agumon. Do you know how many times I had to remind myself it?"

"But, Tai-"

"It's not the same this time. She wasn't with Matt and I-I thought it was the right thing, but apparently it wasn't. Sora just stopped talking to me." He looked over his shoulder. "Has Biyomon…?"

Agumon shook his head bluntly, unused to doing things tentatively. "Biyomon hasn't seen Sora at all these past couple weeks."

Tai's shoulders sagged a bit. "I guess not. I just wish I knew why this was happening."

A scream went up, followed by others. Tai instinctively began running towards it, Digimon in tow. He burst from a sector of trees and saw the Digimon pinned down by Okuwamon and the Digidestined themselves corned by four Kuwagamon.

Tai took all this in and felt a glow rise from his pocket. "Agumon!"

Agumon burst into a furious light that grew larger. He shook it off and Greymon stood before Tai. Greymon let out an impressive roar and set several fire balls at Okuwamon. The Digimon lifted his head and slashed aside the balls with his pinchers. He let out his own scream, stamping his foot on the ground and nearly crushing several of the unconscious Rookies.

Tai clenched his fist. "Damn. Greymon's not strong enough to take out all of them. If only we had WarGreymon we could pulverize them!" But wistful thinking did little as Greymon threw down his head and charged. Okuwamon let out his wings, taking to the air and flying above Greymon. The Insectoid circled around, firing a beam of energy that colliding into Greymon. The Champion was knocked to the ground. He let out a moan but pulled himself back up.

"Tai. Okuwamon is too strong." Greymon spoke in his throaty voice.

"I know. We need to get the other Digimon awake and free our friends." Tai called back. He could see no way of getting through the Kuwagamon or Okuwamon, who was preparing to dive down.

Greymon fired another flame ball, which was easily dodged, and was shoved back into a tree at the collision. Seemingly from nowhere, an Airdramon descended down in front of Tai as the friends were herded towards him.

"My masters have a message. They demand I repeat it verbatim." Airdramon began. "You have noticed that one of your human friends has been acting strangely. We have separated her from your herd. If she hadn't agreed, you would be dead. My masters are fearful of your presence but think you deserve a hint at helping the girl:

"The human you may seek, but shall never discover. Land untouched and pure. You are forbidden to enter." Airdramon completed the reciting. By a silent command the Kuwagamon and Okuwamon took flight next to Airdramon and the six departed.

Tai dashed over to his fallen Partner and crouched next to Agumon, who had reverted from Greymon. He touched a hand to his shoulder. "You okay?"

Agumon half-heartedly opened his eyes. "I'm sorry, Tai. I couldn't protect you. Greymon just wasn't good enough."

The boy reassured the Digimon that he wasn't harmed and appreciated his efforts. He helped Agumon stand up, finally looking out at the others. The rest of the Digimon had awoken and looked confused-as did their Partners. Tai made his way slowly back towards the group.

Everyone was jabbering at once when Tai spoke up. "You know what this means, right?" They turned to him. "We have to rescue Sora."

Davis fist pumped in the air. "I'm right there with you, Tai! Now we know why she was acting so weird."

"Strategically speaking, simply walking around won't solve anything this time." Izzy interrupted, taping his chin in thought.

Tai nodded, "That sounds like a plan. In the meantime-"

"Hold up," Matt stopped him. "That's not a plan, and there's more to this. Weren't you listening to the intimation? It says we can search all we want but this land is forbidden to us." He crossed his arms. "By 'untouched' and 'pure' I think we can confirm this a place _untouched_ by people."

"This is true also," Izzy confirmed. "I can do a cross-check on the whole phrase and see what Digimon might have said it. It also leads me to believe they are powerful to have control over those Digimon who attacked us." He looked over at Tentomon. "When they came into view it was like a spell was cast, all the Digimon just fell asleep."

Tai was becoming more stubborn by the second. "We can't just sit here and talk; we have to go out there and start searching for clues. Asking around."

"He does have a point," TK conceded, "but so does Matt." His hand was clasped over Kari's as he gazed between the older boys.

Matt refused to budge. "Forgive me if I fail to see your point of view, Taichi."

Tai narrowed his eyes at the usage of his full name. _Asshole_, he thought. "Regardless of what _you_ think, we're going to find Sora and bring her home. As Davis pointed out, she was ignoring us for a reason."

"Unless she did so willingly," Cody looked up and everyone turned in shook (for the most part) at the suggestion.

"No. Sora would never do that. She would die before she betrayed us." Tai growled back.

Matt's eyes flashed at him, narrowing in a menace. "And you know this _how_?"

"Bug off, man. You know we've been friends forever."

Sora watched in dismay as her friends bickered back and forth. She strained against her chains, wanting to scream at them all for being idiots if they were arguing already.

Sphinxmon had knocked her out, and when she had awakened, Sora found herself chained at her wrists, ankles, and neck. She was held against a hard wall that was seemingly suspended midair. A few hours must of past when Kingsmon voice surrounded here.

"Our loyal subjects have met up with your group. We thought you would like to see what is happening after they delivered our message." A light flashed, revealing a large screen set up right in front of Sora that captured all of the Digidestined.

Sora then watched with growing apprehension as everyone began arguing.

"Don't do this, guys. You're better. After everything we've through we should be a team. One hell of a team." She murmured to herself.

A tsk made Sora look up. "My dear, if you honestly think they can save you then we might as well kill you now. But we will leave you to rest. Or maybe not. Maybe you shall wallow in your own thoughts and deteriorate. One must not be too hopeful though." His cackling laughter was loud, pounding against Sora's eardrums and making her wince.

_Let it end. Let it end!_

&!-

Not entirely sure where the Mammothmon thing came from, but there ya go. I just really just wanted to point out that Sphinxmon is really AncientSphinxmon, I just shortened the name partially because I'm lazy and partially because I didn't want it to sound so rare.


	4. Aftermath

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**AFTERMATH  
**

Tai spent the rest of the Saturday in agitation. He refused to sit back, allowing Izzy and Yolei to be the only ones working on Sora's location. Tai kept running through all the conversations and signs. They had been there but he had been so caught up in Sora and Matt and Sora and him that he failed to see the real answer.

Somewhere along the line, Matt had come to pick up that something had taken place between his best friend and (ex-)girlfriend. He was cold and aloof, making a point to contradict and undermine Tai. The others noticed the change and reacted to it. A couple, Cody and Joe, agreed with Matt on not rushing in.

Tai felt conflicted on how easily the team could split up. In the old days, there had been arguments, but they all ended up following their leader in the end. He had gotten them through okay, hadn't he? Tai thought he had done a pretty good job. No one died after all. But now he had never felt so unconfident in himself. No one had been under his guidance in years; probably thought they didn't need him now. It made Tai feel slightly worthless at his position. As everyone grew older, they began to have more of their own ideas, believing them to be the right answer despite all evidence. Tai felt sure he wasn't as bad as that. Right?

_Stop it! _He scolded himself. He wasn't allowed to start doubting himself. It was about Sora now. Only she mattered. It didn't lift his mood as Tai trudged through the apartment complex that was his home. He went by Kari's room, formerly an office until the youngest Kamiya child had grown too old to sleep so near her brother, and heard TK's voice. Tai paused, his guilty conscience not yet catching up to him.

"-do something. We rely too much on Izzy's computer. If anything were to happen, we would be finished." TK was saying.

There was wistfulness in Kari, "You're right. Though I'd like to think Izzy can take care of everything and we swoop in to finish with an attack."

"Kari," TK began pressuring, "what are we going to when-_if_-it comes to a serious divide between Matt and Tai. They're both our brothers. I really don't think I can choose."

"We shouldn't have to!" Kari burst out. "This game they play to get to Sora first is ridiculous. Nothing works unless we're a team."

There was a pause and the sound of footsteps crossing the room. Tai leaned in closer, peering through the slightly ajar door. It was open enough for him to see in and not be seen.

TK had navigated through the room, bending his head and placing a kiss on Kari. She returned it. They broke off after a few moments and TK settled himself on the bed where Kari was, resting his forehead against her head. She relaxed at his touch.

"We'll stay together, Kari." The boy promised. "As long as you want to, anyway."

She shoved him lightly in the shoulder. "You say that like I'm going to drop you next week."

TK chuckled, moving in for another kiss. Tai retreated back when it became apparent that this one was going to last a while.

He continued over to his own room, tossing his self carelessly on the bed and tucking the pillow underneath him. Tai hadn't really been paying attention to Kari in past days. True, he had asked Sora about her but when he found nothing wrong with his sister, decided to believe her words. He honestly wasn't surprised to see the teens together.

Unknowingly, Tai was having the same feeling Sora had felt about TK and Kari's new status: jealous. Jealous of the easy relationship they were allowed to have while everything came difficult for Tai. He tried dating a while back, but it ended when he was caught continuously staring at Sora.

There had been Amaya-beautiful and sensitive. Tai had been interested enough in her to find out that her name meant "night rain." When Amaya had discovered the varsity boys soccer star was talking about her, she had been infatuated immediately. At the end of a soccer game, Tai had spotted Amaya and hastened to catch up to her before she left. He pulled a few jokes, got her laughing, and they had gone out for coffee.

Tai brushed back a strand of dislodged hair, his face burying deeper into his pillow as he recalled the date.

"No, no, I swear!" He was laughing. "Twenty bucks for a plain hamburger. Worst deal of my life!"

Amaya shook her head in disbelief, giggling. "_You_ would fall for something like that."

Tai grinned, tilting his head to the side. "You know what else I fall for?" He leaned across the small coffee table, brushing his lips lightly across hers. It was a light, chaste kiss that still made the girl blush as they pulled back.

"And here I thought there was more to you," Amaya arched an eyebrow.

Tai narrowed his eyes slyly and the two met in a full-on kiss. The door dinged open as they again pulled apart. Tai happened to look up and his hand clenched at the sight of Matt and Sora together. He jumped up, slapping money on the table, and snagging Amaya's hand as he tugged her out of the house.

Now Tai once again opened his eyes, dropping the memory of the date. He and Amaya had gone strong for several months until the guilt of betraying Sora ate him alive, even though Sora had been the one to encourage the relationship and suggest double dates.

A month after the breakup, Tai found out that the junior Mari had a crush on him. He had embraced the chance fully. Mari was completely different than Amaya: rebellious, loud, bold. Tai ended up going further in with her than intended, pulling out at the thought of taking her virtue at such a young age. Granted, it was only a year. Mari herself grew tired of playing tease and dumped Tai after a disastrous outing when they had crossed the couple of Matt and Sora.

Not much happened after that. Tai tested a few girls if any showed interest, but none of them fit the bill. He needed someone exactly like Sora. He needed Sora. After a while, everyone heard enough rumors that Tai was enthusiastic about none except for Takenouchi. Which meant he was off the market.

Tai flipped over onto his back, fighting back emotions that were tempted to burst free as his nature called for him to be out there finding Sora, or suffering along next to her. The best excuse they had come up with for Mrs. Takenouchi was that her daughter was spending time with Mimi, who had dropped in for a visit from America and was lonely in her hotel room. The lie was far-fetched; Yolei and Kari had quickly fled from the house before questions could be asked and the messengers shot.

"Tomorrow's Sunday. I'm taking Agumon to the Digiworld. If we don't find anything, then I'm not leaving until we do." He spoke in a flat voice to himself, glaring at the ceiling as though it defied his decision.

But Tai was not the only one desperate to bring Sora home. The whole team-_everyone_-snuck into the middle school and met up. Izzy stepped up, pronouncing that there was no fix on Sora's Digivice with his program. He then pulled up a map of the world.

"We should split up into partners and spread out in the most common areas," Tai decided. He tensed briefly, relaxing only when it seemed his idea was accepted. He was about to ask Izzy to be his partner when Cody spoke up first.

"Izzy, if you would not mind, I'd like to be your partner for this mission." The boy spoke formerly, bowing slightly, despite already knowing Izzy.

"Of course I don't mind, Cody." Izzy smiled.

TK merely had to look over at Kari to get his partner; Yolei wasn't so lucky, having to outright ask Ken, who _did_ accept. Tai quickly snagged Davis for himself, not wanting to be left with Matt. However, that meant Joe was to be with Matt.

"Cody and I will take Sector One, TK and Kari can have Sector Five, Ken and Yolei with Sector Fourteen, Tai and Davis for Sector Twenty-Two, and Matt and Joe will take Sector Twenty-Five," Izzy said without looking up from the computer. He seemed to consider something and pushed back from the desk. "We really don't have a way of contacting each other since only the new kids have email access. Lets all meet up at Sector Two in two hours' time." He pointed it out on the screen.

Davis leaned over to get a better look. He nudged Izzy with an elbow. "Man, you just chose that because it's close to where you're going!"

Yolei, on the other hand, looked disgruntled, "_New?_"

Izzy cleared his throat. "Yes, well, we need to get going. Matt and Joe can go first." He pulled up their region, with Davis popping open the gate. The action was repeated several times until only Izzy and Cody were left.

Izzy pulled up another window, typing in Mimi's email address:

'Mimi,

Please come to the Digital World as soon as possible in two hours from receiving this email. There has been a disturbance and we need everyone's help. Come to Windy Plains.

Izzy'

He clicked 'send' and then pulled the gate back up; Cody waiting patiently all the while. "Let's go, Cody!"

* * *

Tai and Davis arrived in a rather non-fashionable way; but they were greeted with open expressions of pleasure. Davis clapped his hand down on Veemon's head, saying, "No matter how many people hate me, this is one little guy that won't."

Tai wiped off his pants, nodding to Agumon, before looking around. "Okay, I give. Where the hell are we? Besides 'Sector Twenty-Two.'"

Agumon piped up, "This is Mangrove Forest, Tai!"

Forest, indeed. Large, thick trees jutted from the ground, there roots spreading out-a death trap waiting to happen-and fog covered the ground and air. The trees were full enough that the sun barely penetrated through the canopy, blocking it from also burning up the fallen cloud.

"What a place," Davis said, also glancing around the forest. "I don't see life signs anywhere."

"Oh, there are Digimon here, Davis," Veemon promised. "They're not to fond of strangers and are kind of weird. Not many outsiders come here."

"Figures Izzy would send _us_ then." Tai started down a path that had been cleared away. He started to doubt his sense of sight when he saw dark objects dart around-only to be revealed as misplaced rocks and twigs. He turned to his partner. "Agumon, are you guys sure there are others here? It feels like we're just wasting time."

"Keep walking. You'll see there's a reason they cut a path _here_." The Digimon replied stubbornly. Somehow it made Tai more apprehensive.

The group of four must have been walking for no less than twenty minutes when a beacon of light shone through the mist. Davis pulled down his goggles (which he still wore) and Tai covered his eyes with one hand as they stepped through-all the way to a circular inlet that was the end of the road and made of mangrove trees.

The light source was no where to be seen, but an unusual silence was placed over this spot, more so than in the rest of the forest. On the far side of the circle were a cluster of Gekomon and Otamamon. One Gekomon stepped forward, an angry glint in his eyes.

"You humans are not welcome here!" It slithered.

Tai held up his hands in a calming gesture. "Please, we just want to know-"

"Want to know the secrets of our forest!" The Gekomon interrupted, spitting.

"No, no, you have it all wrong!" Agumon said quickly. "They're just looking for a fellow human. They mean no harm."

Gekomon didn't relax, but it didn't seem to about to attack, either. "We'll give you any information we know if you promise to leave without touching anything."

"Deal," Davis agreed.

"What about this human now?"

Tai quickly recited how Sora had begun acting strange, disappeared, and the threat they received. He finished by retelling the clue. "So now we're going all around the Digiworld to see if anyone understands this."

Gekomon fell back to his comrades and they spoke in hushed voices for a couple of minutes. He emerged after coming up with his answer. "We do not know anything about your Sora; however, we have heard legends of a place hidden to all Digimon unless chosen. It seems there is a rite of passage to get in, but if you fail, you are killed."

"Do you know where it is?" Tai asked, though it was hopeless.

"Didn't I say it was hidden? It's somewhere here on the world itself, not a moon or anything. You're just walking and you seem to walk through it-you just get to the other side without realizing it. Now get lost." Gekomon was back to being irritable.

Tai inclined his head as thanks, backing away. He gripped Davis's shirt, tugging him along as the younger boy was ready to start arguing. "Come on; we should get to this Sector Two."

* * *

It wasn't easy, and every pair was easily late to Windy Plains, but they all managed to get there. And they were greeted by a smiling girl in pink. A Palmon at her side. Mimi Tachikawa had gotten Izzy's email. The groups shared their stories, each paralleling the others', and were in a stump.

"There has to be something on this place. Obviously the Digimon have basic knowledge of it, which means they must have learned it from someone." TK mused, pulling at pieces of grass.

Everyone was seated on the ground, each trying to come up with something. Tai stared harshly at the ground, but all his mind drew were blanks. "_The human you may seek…_," He muttered, thinking over the poem-clue. He looked up. "The clue-it was addressed to us, the humans, not the Digimon. I think we have to rely on their brains instead of ours for once. We could find where this rite of passage thing happens and send one of the Digimon in."

"For all we know, the rite of passage could be a lie, fed to Digimon to keep them content," Matt argued.

Tai angrily stood to his feet. "Man, what is with you? Everything I say you make a point of contradicting."

Matt stood up as well, folding his arms across his chest. "Because, Tai, I'm tired of you thinking you're still a hotshot who can save us all and be leader. Look around you for once-everyone's all grown up. We don't need you to hold our hands. Or be our leader."

Tai swore loudly, about to lunge at him when TK and Davis grabbed him, holding him back. Matt watched with contempt. "Still using your fists?"

Tai yanked free of TK and Davis, but lowered his hands. "Then I guess we know what happens now." He retorted, his fists unclenching as he turned away from Matt. "We won't be in the same group to search for Sora."

Matt nodded and relaxed his muscles too. He looked over at the watching Digidestined. "You guys are free to go with whoever you want."

Yolei looked confused, while Izzy was deep in thought. The announcement really didn't seem too much of a surprise. He put his hand to his chin and considered his options. He quickly came to an answer. He stepped towards Tai.

"You know I've always supported you and wanted to help, even if you wouldn't let me." He was referencing the second battle with Piedmon, where Tai had refused to let anyone but WarGreymon fight.

Tai gave him a small nod as Joe made his decision.

"I'm sorry, Tai, but I think Matt would be the most successful here." The oldest boy walked over to Matt, who gave him a small smile.

The rest of the teenagers were more conflicted. Tai know had the techy on his side, who could locate anything in a word made of data. But on the other hand, Matt had the doctor with him, who would be helpful if they found Sora in bad condition. The most undecided remained to be TK and Kari as the others came to their decisions.

Davis trotted over to Tai without a second thought, while Ken and Yolei went to Matt. Mimi glanced uncertainly at Palmon, and then Joe, but decided on Tai. Cody walked silently over to Matt's side. Now only TK and Kari remained, and they been whispering to each other, and as they became the last two to have to decide, TK nodded. They faced the watching groups, their hands brushing each other.

"Kari and I aren't going to chose between our brother and their best friend," TK announced, much to the surprise of the male figures of the Digidestined. The girls understood perfectly.

Kari spoke up as TK paused. "We're doing this so we don't end up fighting and making the situation worse. We have qualities of both Tai and Matt in us and we know we can make it work."

Davis looked like he was about to join them, taking a step forward when Mimi grabbed his collar. "Oh, no you don't. You would just make things worse."

Davis grunted, glaring at the older girl as she released him. Tai looked slightly hurt, but hid it. "Very well. We won't hate you or anything for this."

"Yeah, same for me," Matt added.

The three groups faced each other, only two people actually wanting to be apart. They looked at each other for a few moments before Tai made the first move, turning around and walking in the farthest direction from Matt. Matt did the same with his group until only TK and Kari remained. They looked each other, their hands now firmly entwined.

"I really don't even think Izzy can find Sora." Kari confessed. "She started acting so weird these past few days and was avoiding everyone. I went to her house and her mom even said that Sora was even staying away from her."

TK squeezed her hand comfortingly, pulling her closer to him. "Don't worry. As soon as we find something, we'll send a message to Davis and Yolei so they can tell Tai and Matt. I have a feeling we're going to need everyone to rescue her."

Kari sighed, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You make it sound as if we will find something. But I'm not so sure."

TK couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "You forget, but that's the thing I'm best at- hope."

Kari smiled, pulling back so she could fully take him in. "You're right. And standing here won't help Sora." She turned, still holding onto TK. "Gatomon! Ready to go?"

Gatomon trotted forward from her perch on a stone with Patamon following more slowly. "Ready."

"Then let's go," Kari pulled out her D3 and it immediately lit up. TK did the same.

Gatomon and Patamon were engulfed in a bright light as their partners shouted, "DigiArmor Energize!" The light faded, and Nefertimon and Pegasusmon now stood tall. TK and Kari jogged over to them, mounting their Digimon and taking off.

Matt had the same idea as he called his group to attention.

"We don't have much time, so half of our Digimon need to Digivolve. Gabumon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon will." He told them. The partners of the selected Digimon nodded once, lifting their D3's as Matt raised his own Digivice. In a matter of seconds, Garurumon, Ankylomon, and Aquilamon appeared.

Yolei mounted Aquilamon, while Cody went to Ankylomon. Joe followed close behind the younger boy along with Gomamon.

"Hey Cody, can you give us a lift?" Joe called up to him.

Cody looked surprised. "Of course, Joe. Gomamon is welcome as well."

Yolei glanced over at Ken, smiling brightly at him. "You can ride with me, Ken! Aquilamon won't mind."

"Thank you, Yolei," Ken said quietly, picking up Wormmon as he made his way over to her.

Matt made sure everyone was in place before he sent Garurumon forward. _Hold on, Sora. I'll be the one to find you and bring you home._

* * *

Elsewhere, Tai's group was making slower progress, but they weren't bothered by this. Tai had never led them astray and they had Izzy if things went wrong.

"Wait! I'm coming with you."

Everyone turned around, and from out of the bushes, a pink bird appeared, flapping her wings as fast as possible. She landed in front of Tai and had to stop for a second to catch her breath.

"Biyomon? What are you doing here?" Agumon asked in his slow voice.

Biyomon straightened up, looking up. "Please let me come with you, Tai. I really want to find Sora!"

"Of course you can with us, Biyomon. You're Sora's partner after all. I don't know, you might have an inkling of where she is." Tai replied.

Davis snickered behind him. "Inkling?"

Palmon went forward, putting her arm on Biyomon. "Don't worry, we'll find Sora. We always get there just before something really bad happens. It won't be any different this time."

Biyomon looked at the plant in horror while Tentomon said, "Oh, dear!"

Izzy on the other hand, looked doubtful. "It doesn't work quite like that Palmon. Besides, if any of our three groups happens to find where Sora is, I bet they'll be contacting the others so we can all join in."

"Alright, but I'm just saying-"

"Palmon!" Mimi shouted, hushing up her Digimon. The group went on.

Izzy hung back, slowly taking in his surroundings. "I'm worried about Tai, Tentomon."

"Why do you say that? He looks pretty heathly."

Izzy shook his head. "No, not that kind of worried. It's just- do you remember when we were facing Machinedramon?"

Tentomon shuddered. "How could I forget? It was also when young Kari got sick. Is that why you think old Tai is getting unhealthy?"

"No, no, it has nothing to do with Tai's health; he got really upset and wouldn't listen to me when we got blown into the tunnels. I'm worried that he is going to become like that again."

"Your concern is admirable, Izzy, but Tai is older now. He has learned things throughout the years and won't make the same mistakes again. Besides, Kari is related to Tai, Sora is a friend." The Digimon replied calmly.

Izzy was still reluctant to accept that. "I don't know. If he becomes desperate enough, he might slip." The boy sighed. "If it happens, we just won't be able to risk the safety of everyone else. Tai will have to be on his own."

The large screen in front of Sora flickered off as Izzy's last words echoed around here. As it did, a voice cackled.

"Charming, aren't they? As Tentomon put it, _admirable_," Kingsmon laughed again, not bothering to be quiet as he filled Sora's ears.

She looked down stubbornly, refusing to respond.

Kingsmon ended his laughter to keep talking. "But do you really think they would be so unselfish? TK and Kari maybe, but certainly not Matt or Tai. Two boys fighting for the affection of a locked away damsel. Whoever gets here first is crowned hero."

"You're wrong!" Sora finally cracked, struggling vainly against her chains. "I don't care about either them. They're both stupid if they can't see they need to work together."

"We're not arguing with you there. But it makes us feel better to know that we don't have to lift a finger to destroy the Digidestined. Well, besides taking you."

Three panels lit up and Sora stopped her struggles to peer into them. It was the three groups. More panels came on, showing everyone individually, except for TK and Kari. They were always shown together. Sora looked away.

"What's the matter, my prisoner? Jealous?"

Sora closed her eyes, willing all of this to just go away.

"Too bad it just doesn't work like that. Though we really do get a laugh from all those wishes. The others were just the same." Kingsmon sighed exaggeratedly. "They didn't survive their trial. Couldn't take reality as it was shoved in their face. But you're different from them, aren't you? At least, you would like to think so." He laughed again, fully and evilly. But this time it faded away and left Sora to her despair.

* * *

Tai's group continued their walk, and after a while, even Davis fell silent. Mimi kept up a constant stream of sighs. On their first journey, she had had Sora as her only female companion, someone who-even though she was a jock-could sympathize with Mimi. And now that she lived in America, Mimi had tons to gossip about, but no one to share it with. She doubted any of the boys would be interested in hearing that she was still dating Michael and the two were getting closer. She sighed again.

Palmon looked up at her. "What's wrong, Mimi? You keep sighing."

"It's nothing, Palmon," She reassured her partner.

"Are you getting tired? We have been walking for a while."

Mimi shook her head stubbornly. "No way. I was the one always slowing us down on our first journey, and I'm not going to do that again. Especially now that Sora is at stake. It might take a while to find her, but I'm confident that we can reach her." She said brightly. "Besides, we always get there in time and save the day, like you said earlier. It shouldn't be any different this time."

"Not exactly, Mimi." Izzy called up, again, typing away at his laptop now as they walked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you see- while your logic is ideal, it is far from realistic." He paused in his typing to look up. "When ever it comes time to defeat the bad guys, we always come together as a team, whether through attacks or spirit. One or all of us manage to make our crest's powers manifest and give us more energy. So it's a team effort all around."

Izzy continued talking, but Mimi only looked down at Palmon, blinking. "Manifest?"

"It sounds like a guy word," Palmon replied, thinking.

Tai glanced over his shoulder, hearing Mimi and Palmon confused and Izzy still droning about how in the end everyone always came together as a team. Tai closed his eyes and let out his own sigh, coming to a stop.

Agumon kept walking, but turned around, trotting back. "Something wrong, Tai?"

Everyone else stopped, gathering around their leader with curious faces. Tai shook his head. "No. I was just thinking of where we should start looking. We need to keep moving though." He pounded his fist in his open hand as an idea came to him. "Here's what we're going to do. Our Digimon will have to Digivolve, but, say, every half hour, we'll stop and rest ten minutes and see if we can find any answers." He looked around. "Agreed?"

"Fine by me!" Davis responded, giving him a thumb's up. Izzy and Mimi nodded in agreement as well.

Tai looked down at his partner. "Ready, Agumon?"

The dinosaur nodded just before he was engulfed in a bright light. "Agumon Digivolve to…. Greymon!"

"You, too, Palmon!" Mimi shouted as her partner began Digivolving along with Veemon and Tentomon.

"Palmon Digivolve to… Togemon!"

"Tentomon Digivolve to… Kabuterimon!"

"Veemon Armor-Digivolve to… Raidramon!"

Tai pulled himself up on the even larger dinosaur. "Awesome, Greymon, I missed seeing you."

Togemon lowered her fist for Mimi to sit on, while Izzy and Davis mounted their respected partners. As Kabuterimon took off, Tai shouted up to them, above the noise.

"Izzy, you'll have to keep a lookout for where's a good place to stop!"

Izzy waved his hand to show that he had heard. "Sound's good, Tai!" Kabuterimon lifted him higher in the air, while the other three remained on the ground.


	5. Discovery

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**DISCOVERY  
**

Even though the Digidestined had evidently split up, their confidence had risen, their hope of finding Sora massive. By the end of the day, however, they were left in gloomy despair as evening set in. Tai's own doubts about his leadership grew, and for the first time in a while, he was worried that everyone thought him an idiot. He _knew_ they had thought that in years' past, but the fact had never bothered him before.

The one good thing that had stayed over the years was the ability to find food and cook it enough to eat. Tai had learned enough from Matt to feed his friends, and what he forgot, the others knew. If not for the point that Sora might be being tortured or starved at the moment, the situation might have been more pleasant.

It was only TK and Kari who refused to give up their search as night came. They had located an old temple that been long since abandoned, but still held information within its walls. The two friends had deduced that just flying around on their Digimon wasn't going to do any good.

TK stood up, his back aching from stooping over for so long. He raised a hand to his forehead and wiped away a line of sweat. "The light's fading. We'll have to call it a day soon." He looked up when there was no answer; Kari was still pouring over a packet of papers. TK repeated what he said and she turned.

"I guess you're right. I just don't want to stop." Kari sighed, wistfully wondering if her crest of light could be used for reading. "It's really lucky this temple even had records in it. I've found documents on Holy Digimon that saved others, and evil ones who tried to destroy them, too."

"Yeah, same with me," said TK, coming over next to her. "But nothing on the one place we need. I'm wondering-I'm wondering, Kari, if Azulongmon could tell us."

Kari looked up sharply. "I remember him. He came down when BlackWarGreymon was destroying the Destiny Stones. And then later, at Christmas time, he gave us power to digivolve to the Ultimate level."

TK was nodding as he felt a rush of memories long forgotten return. "Man, I wish we still had the power; we had to give it up to add to the protection of the Digiworld. I also remember Azulongmon saying something about Light and Hope freeing him."

"Then, do you think he would give us information? Azulongmon must know we would never use it for evil purposes."

The tall boy shook his head, unable to answer. "We have to bring him here first. I don't suppose you want to take out some Destiny Stones?"

Kari proffered a small smile, but declined his offer. "No thanks. But I'm wondering if we can go to one of the Stones, and perform a ritual of some sort." She looked over at the pile of accumulated papers that were still unread. "Let's keep searching for something about Holy Digimon."

TK nodded once, kneeling down next to his own pile and rifling through the sheets quickly, before it was completely dark.

* * *

Tai stretched out his body on the cold ground, fidgeting around until he settled for lying on his side. He was still extremely uncomfortable and unused to such sleeping conditions, but he refused to complain. That's what crybabies did.

Around him, Tai could hear the whispers of his friends speaking softly to their Digimon. A dying fire emitted their shapes on the ground. Only the embers were left in the fire pit. In truth, it wasn't cold enough to require a fire, but it offered such security that Tai hadn't hesitated in allowing Agumon to light it.

He tried to block out the voices, not wanting to hear what they were saying. _Why am I so insecure during the one time I need the most confidence?_ He squeezed his eyes shut, muttering "Damn" when he flickered them open seconds later. There would be no sleep tonight.

Tai allowed his mind to drift once more to Sora, tired of trying to suppress his feelings towards her. He thought back to all of the moments they had spent alone together; Tai knowing how he felt but unable to admit it because of his loyalty to Matt. How many times had they shared laughter together? How many more chances would they have to do it again?

_We should be united. All of us, including Matt. It's stupid that we're fighting. Stupid that I can't repress my feelings a little longer until this mess works itself out._ Sora had a future with Matt, anyway. Tai was still sorting out what he wanted to do in life. Soccer was great, but it wasn't everything. Whereas the Teenage Wolves were sure to become a hit soon.

_But I just… can't let go. I _am _ready to admit my feelings, and I think Sora has a right to know. Hell, maybe it would easier if she didn't choose either of us._

The next morning was as dreary as the previous evening. Tai was the first awake, and was carefully covering the fire with dirt to make sure it was completely put out. He heard his friends stirring behind him, but did not turn around until his task was done.

"Any ideas for today, Tai?" Izzy asked, looking up.

Tai hesitated, reluctantly shaking his head as he wiped the dirt on his pants. "Not unless something comes up. Which isn't likely."

The others looked forlornly at their leader, growing doubtful of their mission.

"But," Izzy spoke up, "it doesn't make sense. These Digimon who captured Sora would want us to try and rescue her. So why would they leave a cold trail?"

"Cold trail," Tai repeated slowly. It was ludicrous. Impossible. Stupid enough to be true. "Um, should we go for the snow caps? No one but those who actually like the ice would live in the tallest, coldest mountains. Maybe we'll pick something up."

Mimi spoke up, appearing thoughtful. "It's worth a shot. Maybe we can coordinate with the others so we know who's been where. It would be even worse if we ended up in circles." Beside her, Palmon beamed at her partner, glad to see she wasn't complaining about the task in front of them.

_It's all for her_, Tai thought, forcing himself to nod in agreement.

"Davis!" The boy's head popped up.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"You'll have to send the messages to Yolei and Kari. They'll tell the others then."

Davis pulled out his D-Terminal, setting it up to send a message to the named girls. "Okay. What should I say?"

Licking his lips, Tai said, "Tell them we've searched the low land around the lake and are heading to-" He looked to Izzy for the mountain's name.

"Mount Eira. E-i-r-a. Welsh for 'snow'."

Tai had no idea how Izzy knew this, but Davis was waiting for him to finish the message. -to Mount Eira. Ask where they've been so we don't end up going there again."

Davis tapped away at the small computer, hitting 'Send' with unnecessary exaggeration. "Done," he announced proudly. "But, uh, how do we get to this mountain-thingy? We're not exactly close by to any ranges."

"Flying." Tai clarified. "We can use ExVeemon and Kabuterimon. They're stronger than they look-they can hold us all."

"Tai?" Izzy called, looking up from his own portable laptop.

"Yeah?"

"Mount Eira is going to take a couple of days to get there-a day and a half through flying. Two Digimon won't have that kind of energy, though."

Tai scowled at the news. Greymon and Togemon weren't exactly built for fast running. Biyomon was also with them, but she couldn't Digivolve without her partner. Couldn't she? "Hey, Biyomon, I know you're kind of far from her and we're asking for a freakin' miracle, but any chance you can Digivolve?"

Biyomon looked doubtfully at the boy, fully wishing she could. "I might be able to if Sora knew I needed to Digivolve. But-"

"Wait, wait!" Davis cut her off. "Kari just sent me a message back. Oh, boy-listen to this! 'Davis, TK and I found a temple near where we last each other. It has a lot of information. However, last night we thought of one Digimon who might to be able to help us. Meet us at the temple-it won't be hard to find-and we'll exchange ideas in person. Kari."

"Sounds like those two have been busy," Mimi remarked. She blushed when she realized what her words could be taken for.

"We're not too far away from them; we can cut through the forest instead of taking the path and save ourselves some time." Izzy commented.

"Then let's go already." At Tai's words, Veemon and Tentomon Digivolved, managing to lift everyone up. They followed Izzy's directions and made decent time to the temple Kari mentioned. Dismounting Kabuterimon, Tai felt a bit foolish that for all their trekking yesterday, they had gotten basically nowhere.

He pushed aside his growing doubts , hoping the others wouldn't notice, and smiled slightly as he saw Kari running towards him like she was still a little kid.

"You came!" She grinned at her older brother.

"Of course I did. Now tell us who this Digimon is."

Everyone stood in a loose semi-circle around Kari, but she looked unabashedly back at them. "Azulongmon."

* * *

"What do you think, Matt? Should we join them? I know it didn't ask us to, but I feel like it was implied."

Matt's eyes were running over the message Davis had sent. He looked over at Gabumon, and stubbornly shook his head. He shut the lid of Yolei's D-Terminal with a finality in the air.

"Tai made his decision to leave. He can't expect us to come crawling back to him when he comes up with a new, brilliant idea."

Gabumon surveyed his partner with dismayed eyes, but made no further questions. The Digimon knew Matt's pride was getting in the way, and rescuing Sora on his own would be the best way to gain back her affection. Miserably, Gabumon wondered how his friend would take the news when he learned Sora hadn't chosen Matt. Maybe no one else had noticed, but Gabumon wasn't just standing around when he was quiet. He was always watching and observing. But he feared the damage the information would cause too much to tell him now.

But it was also clear to the Digimon that his friends did not agree. Barely a day had passed since their separation, but the fact that everyone had come up empty was enough for each to realize they worked best as a team.

_Oh, Matt_, Gabumon sighed.

* * *

"I see. For what it's worth, I think we should give it a shot." Tai glanced around him, relieved to see everyone was in agreement at finding Azulongmon. It was a long shot, but had to be done. "Izzy, did you find anything on Mount Eira that we can use?"

"My information on the mountain is limited because few Digimon stay there for very long and record what they've found. It's under near constant foggy and frigid conditions. But," he went on, "I'm seeing that there signs of some sort of building. Whether it holds any value to us, remains to be seen."

"I'll go." TK offered immediately. "There's no point in everyone going up there for something that might be worthless. And besides, it'll be easy with Patamon."

"Right!" Patamon chirped.

"Then I can go as well," Kari argued, starting to stand up. TK shook his head.

"You should stay here."

Kari's resemblance to her brother shone through as a familiar fire entered her. "Why not? Do you think I can't keep up with you?"

"No, not that," TK said simply, struggling to hide his amused smile.

"Then what, Takaishi?"

"Because you're the one who knows the most about Azulongmon, and you know which papers still need to be looked through to see if there's any more information."

"Oh." Kari forgot her brief spell of anger and couldn't help but grin back. "Well, then. If that's the case, you should go. But, shouldn't one other person at least go with you?"

TK turned, "I suppose so. Anyone else want to go?"'

Tai clapped a hand on the shoulder of Davis and pushed him forward. "Davis'll go."

"Huh? Wha-wait, why me?"

"I agree," Kari said.

"Oh, definitely," Mimi added.

Davis made a face, but now couldn't argue now that Kari agreed. TK looked rather amusingly at Patamon; Davis had always pushed for there to be a rivalry between them, but TK hadn't allowed it to develop very far. He would have hardly been worried if Davis _had_ stayed behind. Kari had expressed to him once that she was once interested in the other boy until seeing how arrogant he was.

"Hope Veemon can keep up." Maybe a little rivalry would be good.

"I hope YOU can keep up, TN!" Davis spurred back, whipping out his digivice and causing Veemon to Digivolve instantly to ExVeemon.

TK chuckled, almost relieved at Davis's intended jumble of his name. It felt like the old days. "Your turn, buddy!" He said, allowing Patamon to become Pegasusmon in a blink of an eye. The glow of white that shrouded the evolution never failed to have a brief, blinding effect.

He ascended on the horse, about to take off when Tai came to stand at Pegasusmon's shoulder. "Use time as you need it, but don't waste it. If you don't find anything, come back."

"I hear you, Tai!" TK called as they took off from a running start. Davis was only moments behind on ExVeemon. "We'll be back!"

"Bye." Kari muttered softly, squinting her eyes until it was impossible to see the two boys. A new thrill went through her every time she thought of or saw TK. Her stomach always clenched up and she was afraid she'd say something wrong to drive him away. She allowed a slight sigh and tiny prayer that nothing would befall TK, before straightening her back.

"Come on, you guys, we have a lot of sorting left to do."

* * *

_The air's getting colder. We've only just started climbing…_ Thoughts rumbled through TK's head as he shivered and pressed closer to Pegasusmon.

A day had passed in near silence as they flew with intent and purpose. They'd been fortunate enough to find a couple of vending machines (and have some money) to buy juice and chips as a meager dinner and then breakfast. Now TK and Davis flew nearly vertically up the mountain that was supposedly the tallest around.

"TK." The boy started as Pegasusmon spoke to him.

"What is it?"

"I can sense shelter up ahead. It would be wise to stay there for the time being."

"He's right," ExVeemon called over. "A storm's coming in."

"It will be nearly impossible to fly once it arrives," Pegasusmon concluded.

TK was already shielding his eyes, trying to look through the endless fog for the shelter. "Then you had better get us to it." They were a good couple hundred feet off the ground by now.

The Digimon braced their wings, arching them enough that they turned sharply to the left. A large cliff jutted out just above them now. As they landed on the frigid ground, TK was able to see the shelter-a rundown building tucked far back against the mountain.

Davis started forward but halted when TK spoke. Pegasusmon and ExVeemon reverted to their younger forms.

"Wait, Davis. We should check the place out and make sure we're not intruding on some Digimon."

Davis's jaw dropped open. "Are you serious? We're about to freeze our asses off and you're worried about being _polite_?"

TK snorted. "Hardly. I just don't fancy starting a fight right here because you were too impulsive to be considerate."

"But, TK," Patamon tugging on his pants to get his attention.

TK brushed him off. "Not now."

Davis caught on quickly. "So you want to be considerate to Digimon who aren't here but you won't listen to your partner? Explain that one to me."

Now Veemon stepped forward. "Davis?"

Davis gave a pointed look at TK. "Yes, Veemon?"

"There aren't any Digimon here. Patamon and I would have noticed when we were flying in." The dinosaur answered.

Davis looked smug now. "Is that so? Then we've been standing out her _freezing_ for no reason?"

Veemon nodded. "Yep. You got it."

"Oh, stop acting like a brat so we can go." TK snapped, refusing to let Davis belittle him.

Davis crossed his arms. He was starting to get really tired of this guy. "That's right, go on acting all stoic and walk away. That's what you're best at. You going to walk away from Kari too? When things become too much? Though I guess she would deserve it. She's no better than-"

TK whipped around, bringing a fist to the other boy's face. Davis fell back into the snow. TK didn't hesitate in grabbing his collar and forcing him to stay there. "Do not insult Kari. I don't care if you're pride is hurt because she never went out with you, but you will not saying anything bad about her."

"I don't care about _that_ anymore. It's you who bothers me." Davis shoved back. TK released him and they both stood up. "I'm tired of you acting like the goddamn hero all the time. Like you have some claim over the Digiworld because you got here before all of us. Like you know more than all of us."

"Yeah? And I'm the only one who's got problems? What about you? You're self-centered and narcissistic. Yeah, you're a great leader." TK folded his arms, knowing this was pointless. "You have no regard for anyone's safety and only do what you want to."

Davis threw up his hands. "That's the best argument you can come up with? I can tell you myself about all my problems."

TK narrowed his eyes. "Okay then. Why are determined to continue this useless rivalry? It makes you more reckless."

"Kari." Davis replied shortly, contradicting his earlier answer that he didn't care about her anymore. "I almost had her when you came into the picture. It was like with the Digimon, you think you have some sort of claim over her because you knew her before I did. How do you know I wouldn't be better for her?"

"I don't know," TK pointed out. He'd been stupid to think Davis was over Kari. "But you don't know what we went through as kids together. How could you? You're right-you weren't there. But you just can't forget what happened. I know I can't. It feels like Kari still needs me to protect her and watch out for her since Tai's not with us as much. You can't know how I feel until you are about to be killed by a crazy Digimon that nothing short than a miracle will stop."

Davis rubbed snow flurries out of his eyes. "Come on," he said tensely, "we need to get inside before this stupid storm hits." He struggled forward with Veemon at his side.

TK stayed where he was, feeling the wind pick up but not caring. He looked down at Patamon, loyally staying with him despite the chill.

_Davis doesn't know what he's talking about. He can never understand the impact Devimon or Piedmon had on me. He doesn't know what it's like to think you've lost everyone._

"Then again," TK sighed, speaking aloud, "Davis is lucky to have never experienced any of that. It's hardly his fault."

Patamon looked up at him. "Can we go inside now?"

TK stooped over and picked him up. "Yeah." Fighting with Davis had gotten him nowhere and he resolved not to let his temper get away from him again.

He had time to hear a tiny "Uh oh" before something large slammed into the old house, destroying it instantly and sending the wooden pieces flying. TK threw up a hand as meager protection, stumbling back. When it seemed to calm down, he threw open his eyes.

"Davis!"

* * *

Ken looked up. "Did you hear that?"

Yolei paused beside him. "Hear what?"

"It sounded like-like TK, and he was calling out for Davis."

Yolei pulled out her digivice, but didn't see any other flickering dots beside those in their group. "No one else is even near us, do you have super hearing or something?"

Ken instinctively pressed a hand to one ear, speaking slowly. "I don't think so. But I know I heard something. And that something is telling me it came from up there." He pointed to the mountain they were now heading around.

Yolei followed his hand, eying the mountain. She turned back to Ken. "What do you want to do?"

Ken flipped out his Digivice, suddenly knowing where he'd heard the voice from. Looking back at Yolei, he said, "We better go up there. Everyone's looking pretty tired since Matt won't rest, they won't notice if we leave for a bit." He told her resolutely, already thinking of the fastest way to get up there. "We'd better get away before Wormmon and Hawkmon Digivolve."

"Then let's go!" Yolei grabbed his hand and tugged him off the trail they were following and into the forest. They jogged through for a good ten minutes before Ken announced it was safe to Digivolve.

"Go ahead now. It doesn't matter if the others see us, I just don't want everyone to think they need to come along. On the hand, it would be nice if they never saw we were missing, so they don't think we've abandoned them." Ken watched as the Digimon took on their new forms. Yolei had chosen Halsemon over Aquilamon this time.

Stingmon pulled Ken onto his shoulder and the four set up, heading straight for a certain peak. But as they drew closer, Ken was given the sense that TK's shout was yet to come, for it was too quiet. Voices rolled down mountains like rocks, echoing enough for everyone to hear them, even if that wasn't the intent.

There was always a chance Davis could have set TK off and caused him to shout, but it had sounded more like a warning or a searching call. One of the two.

"Yolei, wait!" Ken called out suddenly as Stingmon came to a standstill. "Over there-it's TK and Davis."

Halsemon came closer to them and Yolei peered ahead. "I don't get it. They're right there but why don't they see or hear us?"

"I don't know," he replied, his mind again calculating what was happening. Somehow, a future shout from TK had made its way through Ken's digivice and now he and Yolei were watching Davis and TK, who did not seem to notice them at all. "Hold on, Yolei, we're about to find out what's happening."

They watched as Davis suddenly turned and walked away to an house of some sort and TK picked up Patamon. Out of literally nowhere, a large Digimon slammed into the house, destroying it. TK was thrown back from the sheer force of the blast, and Davis was-

"_Davis!_"

Ken's focus snapped to. "Stingmon, who is that? And get in closer."

Stingmon did as he was told, but still a good distance from their friends found it impossible to go further. It was an invisible barrier, he pressed a hand to it, able to see who the Digimon was even better now. "It looks like Hyogamon. A nasty Ice Digimon who resembles Ogremon, only worse."

"Watch out!" Came the warning as Halsemon sent an attack at the barrier, to no avail. "Dammit!" Yolei swore.

"A Digimon must have put this up, to keep Davis and TK in and make sure no one could help them." Ken growled, only able to watch helplessly as the battle unfolded.

* * *

The monster Digimon eyed TK with dislike, picking up an icicle he had brought with him and chucking it at the Digidestined.

"No you don't," Patamon muttered, once more engulfed in light, emerging this time as the infamous Angemon.

Angemon knocked the icicle away, sending it spiraling mere feet from TK. The angel Digimon held his staff at the ready. "TK, find Davis and Veemon once I get this guy out of the way."

"Stay safe, friend," the blond murmured, preparing to dive in when Hyogamon was away from the wreckage.

* * *

So this chapter didn't go exactly as I thought it would, but oh well. A little something beside the "where's Sora?" mantra. One day I'll actually write a fanfic that has a legit plot. Until that day, you're stuck with me coming up things from nowhere as I write~

And about the weird ass bit at the end with Ken hearing TK: I have no idea where they came from. Nor is it anyway realistic. c=


	6. Shattered Pieces

**THE LINK**

Bleh. I suck. Sorry for the long delay. Completely forgot about the story and then didn't feel like writing.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You definitely boosted my moral for this story. I promise you I won't leave it unfinished and make you guess the ending. Even if the story goes to all hell. ;) And if you noticed, I went back and renamed the chapters just because I could.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER SIX**

**SHATTERED PIECES  
**

"TK, look out!" Angemon's warning came too late as his partner was thrown back by an attack of Hyogamon. He had only just sent one to Angemon; how could one Digimon work so fast? It wasn't like Hyogamon wasn't the strongest Digimon, but he sure seemed like it at that moment.

TK pulled himself up, only managing to get on his knees. One hand gripped the other arm as pain laced up it. He was breathing heavily, and wishing that Davis was there to say the day. But the mini-Tai was nowhere to be seen.

"Angemon, let's get out of here!"

But the Digimon knew there was no place other to go, besides up or down. And with a coming storm, flying was sure to be hopeless. If only Angemon was strong enough to Digivolve. If only he could protect his human.

Hyogamon growled loudly, fixing a giant icicle to throw. But his target was TK.

"TK!" Angemon cried out helplessly again, using his staff to stand up slowly. _Save TK. Save TK._

TK gripped his arm tighter, unable to move. _Not gonna give up,_ he insisted to himself, _this isn't how it ends. We'll save Sora together like a team._

Hyogamon rumbled, vaulting his icicle forward at TK. The boy snapped his eyes shut, waiting to be hit. Something big slammed into him, though it came from a different direction. TK opened his eyes, shouting loudly. Angemon stood over him, his face contorted in agony. He had taken the brunt of the hit.

He watched, paralyzed, as his beloved friend and partner collapsed on the ground, reverting to Patamon, and then to Tokomon. TK tried for crawling to his fallen Digimon, but it was nearly impossible through the thick snow.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the whole sky lit up a bright green before shattering. TK narrowed his eyes at an onslaught of brilliant sun. But, the sky couldn't shatter. _Right?_

"Yeah, you bastard, we broke your fucking barrier!" Yolei's boisterous voice filled the daunting silence as she and Ken flew down from their Digimon. They jumped down from them next to TK. Yolei immediately picked up Tokomon, handing him carefully to TK.

"Find Davis." The injured boy managed to say, gasping at the effort.

"No necessario!" Perhaps louder than Yolei, Davis's voice threw itself at them, as out from the pile of ruins came Flamedramon and Davis. Davis was beaten up, with cuts across his face, but didn't seem to notice.

Now it was Flamedramon, Stingmon, and Halsemon against Hyogamon. The three Digimon immediately sent their attacks at Hyogamon, who dodged them neatly, landing father away. He glared at his opponents. He picked up his heavy club he kept with him and threw it at Flamedramon with surprising speed and accuracy.

"Flamedramon, get out the way!" Davis called out, having joined the others by now.

Stingmon and Hawkmon intercepted the attack, knocking the club out of the way. Flamedramon smirked at Hyogamon. But the enemy didn't notice; he had already prepared several icicles and was hurling them at the humans this time.

Flamedramon's grin grew. "Watch this!" He expertly chucked multiple fire balls at the icicles, succeeding in melting them all before they met their targets.

Hyogamon roared angrily, but knew he was defeated. He turned and began running away.

"You won't get away that easily for hurting out friends!" Halsemon growled. "Tempest—"

"That's enough, Halsemon!" Yolei shouted up to him. "He's already leaving."

The Digimon stopped his attack reluctantly. "But, Yolei, look at what he's done."

But Yolei didn't hear him. TK had laid out Tokomon on the ground and was attempting to gently wake him. After a few moments, the pink Digimon opened his eyes, looking blearily at TK. "Did we win?"

TK couldn't help but smile slightly, even though inside he truly felt miserable. So many times his Digimon had been almost killed. Why couldn't he do anything about it? "Yeah, we won." He picked Tokomon back up, holding him off in one arm since the other was still hurting, before addressing Ken and Yolei. "Not that I'm not glad you two are here, but how did you find us?"

Flamedramon, Stingmon, and Halsemon came over to their Digimon as Ken attempted to explain the strange phenomenon. "It was after we received Davis's message. Matt had decided it would be best to keep going our own way. We were walking around the mountain when I thought I heard TK shouting out to Davis, even though no one besides us were in the nearby vicinity. And then—it was like I just had a sense for where you two were and Yolei and I came straight here."

TK narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but soon gave up trying to figure out what had happened. "But what about when the sky became green and then broke?"

"That was Stingmon and Halsemon," Yolei piped up, "there was some sort of barrier around you and Davis and we couldn't get to you two. I think we found the weak point because the thing just shattered suddenly."

Davis looked at her like she was crazy, having just decided to listen in on the conversation. He and Veemon, after reverting from Flamedramon, had been going through a play-by-play of the battle (omitting the part where they were briefly knocked unconscious).

"If someone went to lengths to put a barrier up, it must mean they didn't want anyone in to help Davis and me. They probably thought Hyogamon would take care of us." TK's eyes went to the ruins. "If they were protecting something, I wonder what it could be."

"I can help you there." A strong voice interrupted. The group turned, startled, to see a goat-like Digimon standing on a cliff farther up, watching them. "If you four are really part of the Digidestined, then I would like to help."

TK shielded his eyes from the sun for a better look. "Who is that?"

"That's Oryxmon, TK," Tokomon answered. "He's a good Digimon. If he wants to give us help, we should take it."

Oryxmon jumped his way down the cliff until he was steadily walking towards the group.

"I'm sorry, but what kind of help are you talking about?" TK asked carefully.

Oryxmon stopped in front of him. "The help of knowledge. Digimon forget that I have a long memory, and what I do not know, I find out. I can help you find your lost friend."

"You mean Sora?" Yolei glared at him, as though Oryxmon had been the one to take her. "You better tell us now where she is!"

"You will have to come with me first, I'm afraid. I do not like to share my knowledge in the open. Many times Digimon have come to me, claiming they would not us it to gain power or start battles, but each time, they lied. I have sworn now only to help the purest of hearts. And that is the Digidestined, no matter how rash they might act." He glanced at Yolei. "Please, follow me." He turned around to where he had come from and made his way there.

"I hope he knows we can't climb like him," Yolei whispered to Ken.

"I think he might have figured that out," he replied.

TK hung back while the others went ahead. Tokomon watched him with big eyes. "Are you feeling okay? Oryxmon talking to us won't hurt you or anything?"

The Digimon wiggled impatiently in his hands. "Of course he won't, TK. I might be a little tired, but I'm fine. But you'll be tired if you have to run up a mountain to catch up!"

TK chuckled, jogging lightly to reach the others.

* * *

"Matt, something's seriously wrong for Yolei and Ken to have just disappeared." Joe said uneasily, wishing he had been paying more attention. But he had been occupying the time by reciting lists of diseases and their remedies. He was about to move on to physical injuries when he had noticed the absence of two members of the group. Feeling quite embarrassed, he then alerted Matt and Cody.

Now the three stood awkwardly, unsure of what had happened.

"Both of them have D-Terminals," Matt pointed out stubbornly, reluctant to stop the search for Sora. "If something was wrong, they would have sent a message to Cody."

Cody folded his arms across his chest, unconvinced. "But what could have happened to the point where they didn't alert us of their leaving in the first place? We need to find out what has happened to them. After that, we can regroup with Taichi and the others."

Matt stared in astonishment at the younger boy. Since when did he give orders? He had done it so easily, Matt felt surprised instead of angry. The thought of Tai, sent feelings of guilt through Matt. How many times had he questioned Tai, arguing every decision he made? At the time, Matt had told himself he was doing it for the group's own good; if Tai didn't see his own recklessness, they could get caught in a ridiculous situation that could have been easily prevented.

Sighing, Matt dropped his hands into his pockets. "Fine. Cody, send Yolei a message and ask her what the hell is going on. _Then_ we'll find Tai." There. Now it sounded like Matt was giving the orders, not Cody.

"Why do humans like to compete with each other?" Gomamon whispered to Gabumon, watching the exchange.

Gabumon shrugged uncomfortably, not wanting to betray his partner by saying anything bad about him. Thankfully, Armadillomon saved him by saying, "Because then they know what to do when the writing's on the wall."

"The what?"

"The writing. On the wall." Armadillomon didn't quite understand the phrase the first time Cody used it, but he was pretty sure he had it down now.

"But there aren't walls around us." Gomamon pointed out. "And without walls, there's nothing to write on."

"Aww, then we're never going to know what to do!" The other Digimon complained.

Gabumon averted his eyes, feeling as though he should jump in and explain, but not wanting to. The Digimon felt out of place next to the others, whom always asked questions about the most basic things. Sometimes the others' conversations were quite amusing, but right now it was ludicrous and tiring.

"Alright," Matt spoke up. "Cody's sent the message so we can go. You feel up to giving free rides, buddy?" He turned to Gabumon. His Digimon needed only nod slightly.

"Me too!" Armadillomon piped up. "I'll carry you, Cody. Free of charge, as well!"

"What a relief," Cody smiled at his Digimon. The three watched at the nearly instantaneous evolution of Gabumon and Armadillomon to Garurumon and Ankylomon, respectively. The latter of which lowered himself on his stomach to allow Cody and Joe to climb on him. Matt, on the other hand, easily mounted Garurumon.

"That way, Garurumon!" He pointed in the direction they had just come from. The Digimon followed his command without hesitation.

* * *

It was the afternoon of the second day since TK and Davis's departure. When they had come up empty handed the first day and food supplies ran short, Tai voted for the group to search for food the following day. But Kari had been anxious to find information on Azulongmon; she'd suggested that half the group search for food in the morning, and switch off with the others at midday.

Now it was Kari's turn to look for food. She'd opted out of searching with Izzy, and instead only kept Gatomon for company. Her Digimon was busy climbing trees, and scouring bushes for signs of edible life. What Kari was supposed to be doing, but was too distracted to do so.

Kari was enveloped with dark thoughts of TK. She couldn't help but imagine everything possible that could have gone wrong. They might have been caught in a storm, unable to find shelter, leaving TK to freeze to death. Maybe Pegasusmon got too tired and unintentionally reverted to Patamon, causing TK to plummet to his death. Or perhaps—

"KARI!" Gatomon's screeching call snapped the young girl from her terrible visions. The cat Digimon was perched in a high branch just over Kari.

"Yes, Gatomon?" She asked tiredly.

"You need to stop worrying so much," Gatomon chastised. "I can see it all over your face how much you miss TK. It's enough to make _me_ nervous."

"I'm sorry," Kari replied automatically, causing her Digimon to sigh. Gatomon had complained several times in the past that Kari said "sorry" too much. "But—I mean, actually I was thinking about Sora, not TK."

"Right." Gatomon was unconvinced.

"No really," she said. "TK can take care of himself. I don't have to worry."

Gatomon studied her for several seconds before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I'm worried for Sora, too. But, cheer up! I think I spotted some cherries up ahead."

As the two headed to the tree, Kari couldn't help but wonder why she had so desperately denied thinking of TK. What made it worse was the fact that Sora _was_ in legitimate danger and she hadn't considered the older girl once. TK might mean a lot to Kari, but she had to remember to prioritize things, and not let emotions run her actions.

Gatomon was the first to reach the cherry tree and began cutting off the fruit with her claws, sending them to the ground. Kari watched as they fell, her mind consumed again by elsewhere. Kari would be lying to herself if she said she was glad to have a break from TK after spending so much time with him. She wished he were here now with her, whispering comforting words in ear.

An uncomfortable revelation fell upon on Kari. Was she falling in love with her best friend? Worse, why did that instantly fill her with dread?

Watching Gatomon work, Kari wished she could be more like her Digimon, focusing on the now instead of what might happen.

* * *

As it turned out, the big climb up the mountain was a short trek to the battered remains of the shack. Davis and Yolei had been ready to lay down a reel of complaints when it seemed as though they would be hunting through the pieces, but Oryxmon hadn't bothered. He maneuvered to the center of the destruction, clearing away a small portion of the debris with his horns.

The goat then stamped his hoof twice. Immediately, a perfect circle dissolved into the ground, revealing a small ice tunnel. No stairs. It looked more like an enclosed slide than a tunnel made for walking.

Davis _tch_ed. "Kind of an obvious hiding place, don't you think?"

Oryxmon looked at him thoughtfully. "But is it not true that most look to the inside first. When they fail to find anything, they leave. But it is the outside that contains all of the secrets. So _obviously_ ignored."

TK couldn't help but chuckle at Oryxmon's rebuff. Yolei shot Davis the finger.

"If you are ready," Oryxmon continued, nodding to the tunnel. "Follow me, please." He made it look easy, crouching low to the ground and slipping right into the tunnel. Yolei followed behind, sitting down before she pushed herself down. She screamed loudly when she starting sliding faster than she had ever before on a slide. Hawkmon dove after her, shouting, "Yolei!"

A moment later, everyone heard an, "Ow! I'm okay!"

Davis rolled his eyes, throwing himself down the tunnel head first with a whoop of joy. Veemon followed suit in the exact same manner. Much like with Yolei, TK and Ken heard an "Ow!" only double the loudness of Yolei's shout.

"After you," TK invited, gesturing with his hand for Ken to go ahead of him. Ken nodded, sighing grudgingly before he took his turn down the tunnel. He rode down with Wormmon, leaving only TK and Tokomon.

"Ready, buddy?" TK asked cheerfully. Tokomon responded with a "Yep!" from his position on TK's head. TK laughed before also going down the icy tunnel. Instantly, he picked up speed as the tunnel curved to the left and right, and even dropping straight down. The "ride" ended abruptly, disposing him on another hard, ice and snow surface. TK stood up shakily, noticing Davis glumly pressing a hand on his head, and Yolei shivering, rubbing her hands across her arms. Luckily, the ground was covered with enough snow that they wouldn't slip with every step.

"Please, follow me." Oryxmon repeated, already setting out further into the tunnel. The tiny chamber opened up to a longer shaft as the group made their way further. On they walked, their limbs growing tired, but their curiosity of Oryxmon's knowledge kept them going—granted, there were numerous complaints.

At last, Oryxmon made a final left, and they reached a dead end. In front of them was merely a solid ice wall, almost like glass. It was perfectly smooth and flat, reaching from ceiling to floor. Davis opened his mouth to say something, no doubt to ask what they were supposed to do, when TK stepped forward and silenced him.

The boy walked slowly up to the wall, as if a soft voice were telling him what to do. He reached a hand out, hesitating briefly before extending it so that it touched the wall. His eyes shifted from light blue to ebony black. As TK watched from his inner eye, images flashed forward like memories in a dream. But they were blurred and too discrete for him to make out anything useful. He shifted his hand.

Different images showed up, and TK soon understood that when he moved his hand to a different place on the wall, new messages appeared before him. But he didn't know what he was looking for; his hand continued moving, seemingly on its own. When again he moved it, he knew it was where it should be. A searing pain like being burned filled the underside of TK's hand, but he could not move it. In his mind, all he could see now was what was set in front of him.

It started out with unimportant, still frame memories of all the Digidestined, taking care to show each of them as they represented their crests. Tai making a ridiculous leap to knock the ball into the goal in a soccer match. Matt showing his brother how to play the guitar, even though TK was positive he would never understand it. Izzy researching on the computer, despite the time being very late. On and on it went, last of all showing TK himself. It was a still of him holding Kari's hand and leading her on. It was from their first trip to the Digital World.

The image was replaced with the Crest of Hope, glowing a bright yellow. In a matter of seconds, its glow shined even more brilliantly. Until it broke. A scratch cut across it. Then another and another. Until the crest broke, the pieces falling into nothing. TK wanted to cry out in shock, but couldn't. He was caught off guard as Kari and another being—a Digimon?—took the crest's place. The Digimon looked like it was torturing her, demanding an answer. But when Kari refused to speak, he slit her throat. The Digimon turned his head so that he faced TK, like it knew it was being watched. Its eyes were vacant and pupil-less.

But TK wasn't allowed to stop and figure out what had happened as the vision continued. Now all the crests appeared, lining up in a row: Courage, Friendship, Reliability, Knowledge, Sincerity, Kindness, and Light. But one was missing. One space was open between Courage and Friendship, waiting for the Crest of Love. When it became apparent the missing crest wasn't coming, first the Crests of Courage and Friendship shattered and broke like TK's had. In a domino effect, the others followed suit, first Reliability, then Knowledge, then Sincerity, and Kindness. Only the Crest of Light remained. It glowed dimly, before sparking out. Unlike the others, it simply fell without breaking, now a dull gray color.

Above the unassuming pieces that littered the ground, the Crest of Love suddenly appeared. It was ugly black, looking battered and bruised and worn-out. But the crest still radiated—the same black as the color, the edges tinted with a pale red. The crest looked as though it were about to fall apart from misuse, but it remained were it was for a few more moments, until it wore away into spectacles of dust, much like when a Digimon was killed. The same was happening to the pieces of crests below, until nothing remained.

TK suddenly dropped his hand from the glossy wall, mobile again. His eyes immediately returned to blue. "Kari." He muttered, before collapsing.

* * *

"_What?_" Kingsmon shouted from his place in the darkness.

Sphinxmon bowed as low as possible to the ground. "We have only just received the news, my Lords, but it was confirmed by several spies. Oryxmon has found the human children."

"Goddammit!" The Digimon swore, furious that he had forgotten. Forgotten the only Digimon that evaded him and returned to the tainted places of the Digital World. "Tell the spies to see to it the children are killed and Oryxmon never see the light of day again." He ordered coldly.

"Yes, my Lords." Spinxmon bowed again before exiting the room. As soon as he was out, his eyes glistened in satisfaction. Kingsmon had practically handed him the reigns to ending the humans. He padded down the long hallway to a different room, before barking out orders of his own.

"Make contact with our spies. Tell them to eliminate all of the humans and their Digimon. But bring Oryxmon to me." He growled in pleasure. "Do it now." He watched for a few minutes as Digimon scrambled to follow his orders. He growled once more before turning away, moving further the castle until he arrived in a darkened room. The doors automatically opened for him and Spinxmon stepped in.

In the middle of the room were floating balls of red light: digi-cores. There were ten of them. Sphinxmon could only look on in amazement at what he had accomplished in such a short amount of time. It made him proud to know he would cleanse the Digital World of the human infestation. Kingsmon was merely providing a sort of shelter while he prepared the real king, the real God.

Spinxmon remained silent, not allowing himself to become excited by the prospect of meeting Oryxmon, the only Digimon to escape _Paradise_, as Kingsmon put it. Roaring angrily, Sphinxmon fled to his room, back to the control room. He couldn't let Oryxmon escape his claws again. He needed more spies in the fight to ensure he wouldn't escape.

* * *

So I'm actually pretty proud of coming with the vision thing. It ties in to the original idea behind the story of everything falling apart without Sora. So, now that TK has been shown this, is this the only information Oryxmon has to offer? Well, I have no idea yet. xD

It's kind of funny, but I just noticed that Sora and Tai are listed as the two main characters, but in this chapter they were barely mentioned. d:


	7. Black Hole

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon**.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**BLACK HOLE  
**

Davis could see from the instant TK stepped back what was going to happen, and dove to catch his friend as he fainted. He caught TK by the shoulders, slipping to the ground, but sparing them both from a painful fall. Yolei and Ken rushed over, worry filling their eyes. Davis glared at Oryxmon.

"What did you do to him?" He asked angrily.

But Oryxmon simply looked back at him, unabashed. "Destiny has shown their will, and now fate will make it appear."

"What the hell does that mean?" Yolei joined Davis, having seen for herself that at least TK was still breathing. Oryxmon blinked, but remained silent to her question. Snorting, Yolei turned back to her friends. Davis was carefully laying TK out on the ground.

The three went from gently shaking to poking to slapping, but nothing they did would wake TK. Ken leaned back, but something caught his eye. He reached a careful hand back out, gently turning TK's arm over where he could see it better. "Look at this."

Davis bent over for an improved view. He let out a low whistle. He might not have been Joe, but even he could see how swollen TK's arm had become—possibly supporting a break. "Damn. How could he not have said anything about this earlier?"

"I don't think he even noticed. It's so cold up here, it probably numbed any pain he should have felt," Ken mused. "And look at the rest of him." Ken pointed to his face, which sported bad cuts and black bruises. Looking up, Ken could see that Davis was too beaten up from the fight with Hyogamon.

Above head, the ceiling suddenly shuddered; Oryxmon looked up sharply, sighing sadly a moment later. He lowered his head slowly, as distinctive roars of multiple Digimon sounded from outside. Oryxmon sighed again.

Yolei was tempted to turn around and tell the Digimon off, for any trust towards Oryxmon had been broken. Instead, she asked, "What's happening up there?"

"You should stay here. There is a riot outside, waiting to confront the Digidestined. Someone must have seen you come in." Oryxmon said.

"We need to get TK to Joe, though, before he gets any worse. You too, Davis." Yolei pressed on, ignoring her thumping heart.

Davis grumbled at the thought of seeing a doctor for himself. "I guess so. But if Digimon are waiting to attack us… I bet it was Hyogamon who spilled. You should have let Hawkmon finish him off, Yolei."

"The entrance has been sealed, and over us might be ice, but the caves are vast. They will not find us." Oryxmon interrupted him stubbornly.

Everyone fell silent, until Ken spoke up. "But we have Veemon and Wormmon. They can digivolve to Imperialdramon and get us out of here quickly."

"I'm for it, Davis!" Veemon piped up, eager to please his partner.

"I'm okay, too. If it means getting you all to safety, I would be happy to oblige." Wormmon added.

Davis nodded, convinced. "Sounds good." He straightened up, wincing slightly as he felt his own stiffness beginning to kick in from the previous fight. "Oryxmon, find us a way out of here!"

"I cannot." The Digimon said simply. "They are here for me as well."

"What?" Yolei glanced up in surprise, her hostility briefly forgotten. "For what?"

"For what they believe an injustice to their law."

"We don't have time for this!" Ken snapped. "Unless we leave now, TK will get worse."

Davis spared a brief look for Oryxmon, but immediately jumped into action. "Right. Veemon you'll digivolve to Flamedramon, burn us a way out of here. Then you and Wormmon will have to hustle and become Imperialdramon once you get out as Paildramon. Hawkmon can carry all of us out after you as Aquilamon. We get inside Imperialdramon, and we're home free."

"You up to this, Hawkmon?" Yolei asked her partner.

"It will be the perfect challenge." Hawkmon replied, not all daunted at the thought of carrying four humans and one Digimon.

"Let's go for it then!" Davis shouted, pumped up.

"You bet!" Veemon agreed, enveloped in a red glow. He grew several feet taller with blazing armor: Flamedramon. He wasted no time in sending several dollops of flames to the cave's ceiling, melting out a perfect circle, large enough for the Digimon to fit through. He repeated the process, before reverting to Veemon. "It's about to fall through," he reported. "You're up with me, Wormmon."

Both of the Rookies dawned a bright ray of light, turning Veemon now into ExVeemon, and Wormmon to Stingmon. The ice shuddered, half melting and half falling apart. Davis and Ken held up their D-3s, allowing their Digimon to further digivolve, coming together to form Paildramon. Hawkmon also took his turn to become Aquilamon.

"Alright, everyone on," he ordered in his throaty voice.

Yolei clambered on first, followed by Ken. Between them and Davis, TK was carefully hoisted up, watched over closely by Tokomon. Davis pulled himself on the bird, signaling to Paildramon they were ready to go. No one paid mind to Oryxmon; the Digidestined might have been chosen to protect the DigiWorld, but at the moment, getting TK to Joe took priority over saving a mysterious goat.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon hammered the ceiling with a number of bullets, further weakening the ice. He shot up from the ground, as the sheet of ice crumbled away to the ground, revealing a clear sky. However, the moment the hole was cleared, it was besieged by Digimon from all sides. Paildramon shot from the cave, leading them away. He then furthered himself to Imperialdramon as attacks were directed at him, but now were useless.

While Imperialdramon served as a distraction, Aquilamon attempted to take flight. But he had difficulty getting off the ground with all of the extra weight. His wings strained, but he was able to move his wings up and down, up and down. Until he had a steady pattern, and lifted off the ground. As Aquilamon made his way through the hole, they were briefly blinded by the sun's glare (pretty impressive considering they were high up on a mountain), before their eyes cleared. All around were Digimon, attacking Imperialdramon, who reflected each of them. Aquilamon landed quickly, barring Digimon from reaching the teenagers as they noticed their real targets.

Imperialdramon saw them as well, flying over and landing roughly. A beam of blue light shot from the Digimon, enveloping the Digidestined and bringing them inside of him. Aquilamon took off from the ground, flying into the light as it began to fade, reverting to Hawkmon.

"Everyone ready?" The combination of ExVeemon and Stingmon's voice asked.

"We're all here; let's go!" Davis shouted, doing a quick sweep to indeed make sure everyone had made it in.

Imperialdramon galloped awkwardly to the edge of the mountain, sliding without any hesitation. He expanded his wings, catching the air and shot off at hyper speed.

* * *

"So then we came straight here." Matt finished his report, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking anywhere but at Tai. He, Joe, and Cody had found Tai's group no more than an hour ago, and had explained the lack of Yolei and Ken. There had been no reply from Yolei concerning Cody's email, leaving them all even more concerned.

Contrary to Matt, Tai wasn't flinching in looking directly at him. He had his arms folded across his chest, trying to contain the onslaught of animosity he felt towards his _former_ best friend, especially since Matt had refused to help them earlier. He opened his mouth to "congratulate" Matt on his excellent leadership skills, when he was cut off by the abrupt arrival of none other than Imperialdramon.

The large Digimon landed hastily, not bothering to watch out for trees or other plants he might be stepping on. A beam of light emitted itself from him Imperialdramon, sending out Yolei and Hawkmon, Tokomon, and Davis and Ken balancing a comatose TK between them. Tai raced over to them, barely aware of everyone following him. He skidded to a stop in front of the three boys.

"What happened?" He demanded to know.

"We'll tell you in a second, Tai. Right now we _really _need Joe." Davis said through clenched teeth, doing his best to hold up TK.

"I'm right here," Joe called, pushing through the small crowd. "Put TK on the ground. I'll treat him here." He instructed quickly. Davis and Ken did as they were told. "Tai, I need some space. Get everyone away from here. Gomamon!"

Tai was amazed at how easily Joe managed to step into doctor mood, not hesitating to give out orders. Gomamon was clambering over to him, dragging Joe's medical bag with him. But Tai knew he could trust Joe, and so turned away. "Okay, you heard the doctor, clear out. Davis and the others can tell us what happened while we wait."

The group reluctantly stepped back at Tai's urging. Yolei made to follow them when Joe stopped her. "I might need your help," he explained shortly.

Tai insisted that everyone sit down and remained calm before he let Davis and Ken begin. Meanwhile, only Gatomon could see how close Kari was to being _not _calm, and was desperately trying to reassure her that TK would be okay. Kari felt horrified at what had happened, and deeply guilty. In her mind, she felt that she should have insisted on going with TK, but had instead remained behind. She kept glancing over at him, but her view was blocked off by Joe. Tokomon was with them, plainly showing his own fear.

"Kari," Gatomon said quietly, "whatever happened isn't your fault. You could have been just as badly hurt if you'd gone."

Kari looked at the ground, barely listened as Davis stumbled over saying he and TK got into a fight over _just something_. She felt hollow as Davis went on to describe how Hyogamon had attacked the two, where Davis and Veemon got stuck under the destroyed building, leaving TK and Angemon to do their best against Hyogamon. Then how Ken and Yolei showed up. Here, Ken explained how he and Yolei had found the two. Kari's hands tightened into fists as she fought of tears, trying vainly not to break down.

But finally what caught her interest in the story was when the Digimon Oryxmon led them to an apparent dead end, when TK stepped forward and something happened when he placed a hand on the ice wall. She had no comprehension of what might have happened to TK at the point. She saw this in worse light than she should have, thinking she should have known what had happened.

"Kari?" It was Gatomon again.

"What is it?" She asked weakly.

Gatomon tugged at her shirt to get Kari's full attention before pointing. "Joe looks like he's done."

Kari looked up, seeing that Joe was packing up his medical kit. She made to stand up when Gatomon hissed at her not to. Davis sounded close to completing the tale, and Joe and Yolei were walking over. As Davis finished, Joe spoke up.

"TK will be fine. A lot of cuts and bruises, but the only major injury is a slight fracture in his left arm. He's still unconscious, and I gave him a sedative to make sure he sleeps some more and recovers easily."

Everyone started talking at once, standing up and stretching their legs. Kari could only watch as Tai thanked Davis for bringing everyone back safely, congratulating him on his quick thinking. She saw Matt look wistfully at his brother, before making his way over to Tai. Kari slowly pushed herself off the ground, making a beeline away from the team before they noticed. She managed to evade them all, except Gatomon.

"Kari, where are you going?" Her Digimon jogged to keep up. "I thought you wanted to see TK."

Kari didn't answer; at least, not until Gatomon jumped in front of her, threatening to bring out her claws until Kari told her what was wrong. "It's. . .I don't know. Everyone seems so normal, like nothing happened. Even Matt doesn't look upset. It makes me feel weak. . ."

Gatomon's eyes softened. "Kari you've never been weak. And no one over there is acting like nothing happened. Something bad happened, and Joe took care of it. There's not much they can really do about it."

"But then why do I feel like this?"

Gatomon looked up at the sky, thinking of what to say. "You remember when you told me about relationships, the whole boyfriend-girlfriend stuff? Well, you told me you only have one boyfriend and it's like they become part of you. You share feelings and everything else. This is like that. TK's a part of you, so of course you feel more upset than the others."

"But Matt—"

"Matt's been with TK practically his whole life. So of course he's seen his brother get hurt many times."

That silenced all of Kari's objections, leaving her feeling tired then. "When did you get so wise?"

Gatomon smiled, glad to see her partner calming down finally. "Just talk to TK when he wakes up and you'll work out everything."

* * *

When TK opened his eyes, he was seized by confusion. He could only comprehend that it was dark and he was outside. He tried moving slightly, but his elbow bumped into a soft pink pall. His other arm hadn't moved, heavily restrained. The pink ball twitched, unraveling to become Tokomon. Tokomon blinked several times, his eyes clearing up before he realized TK was awake.

"TK!" The little Digimon jumped onto his chest in excitement.

"Oof! Good to see you too, Tokomon." He reached out a hand and scratched Tokomon's head. "But, uh, where are we?"

Tokomon looked at TK, his face instantly turned sad. "We were with Oryxmon in the ice caves," he reminded him, "when you fainted. Davis got us all to Tai and Joe put you back together."

"Wait, so Tai and Matt are friends again? That's good." He relaxed, resting his head back on the ground. Tokomon bounded off of him.

"Stay here, Joe wanted me to get you when you woke up!" He called softly over his shoulder, as it was night and everyone was sleeping. Tokomon returned moments later with Joe, wide awake for someone who had been sleeping no more than two minutes prior.

Joe knelt next to him, asking, "How do you feel?"

TK considered for a moment. "Tired mostly. I don't hurt like I would have thought."

"You're on medication, so it's a good thing you are not in pain." Joe reassured him. "It'll be a while before you're one hundred percent. You managed to break your arm, I'm assuming from falling on it and twisting it the wrong way. But not a bad break. And you're hand was burned, I'm not really sure how that happened." TK nodded, but offered no explanations to the burn. Joe hesitated, the silence dragging out, before he asked. "But what that made you, uh, well, faint?" He sounded his usual, uncomfortable self again.

TK looked at the ground, instantly remembering the vision he had been shown. He shuddered, understanding basically what it was trying to tell him. The only thing he couldn't really figure out was the part about Kari. . . "I don't really remember much. Just that we _really _need to find Sora. And do it together."

Joe brightened, at least a little. "Well, we're halfway there then. Everyone's back." He stood up. "You should get back to sleep; you'll feel better in the morning, which is good, because I know everyone won't be able to leave you alone."

TK managed a smile, closing his eyes until he heard Joe's retreating footsteps. He opened them back up, watching as the eldest Digidestined laid down. TK was still for a few minutes, moving when he was positive Joe was asleep. Most of them had retained their old ability of falling asleep quickly and whenever possible. TK pulled himself up slowly, sitting up.

"TK, are you sure you should be moving?" Tokomon whispered.

"I just need to—think about a couple things." He answered softly, struggling for a moment before he was able to stand up. He staggered further into the forest, using tree trunks and branches for support. Tokomon loyally followed behind, knowing TK must not have been telling the truth, or all of it anyway, about his vision.

A rustling put the young Digimon on high alert, his muscles tensing, only to instantly relax as Kari appeared. Tokomon was about to say something, when Gatomon nudged him sharply, gesturing that they should leave. Tokomon looked once more at TK, whom had now noticed Kari.

"Come on." Gatomon said, and the two Digimon sprinted off.

TK had his good arm pushing against a tree, vainly trying to look like he didn't need help, as Kari approached him. TK's smile was genuine, but faded quickly when he saw her distress. "What's wrong?"

"You have to ask?" Kari replied warily.

"Is it because of what happened to me? Because you must know it has nothing to do with you." He looked at her sternly.

Kari winced; dang, he did know her pretty well. "Yeah, Gatomon said the same thing. Still doesn't make me feel any better."

TK pushed himself from the tree, grabbing Kari and wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to put you through this." Kari squirmed under him, but then let herself relax, finally admitting to herself that TK was okay. "If it makes you feel any better, and our roles were switched, I'd probably be out for blood for whoever hurt you."

She pulled back slightly, shocked that passive TK would actually do something like that. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. Do you think I'd let anyone get away with hurting you?"

Kari rested her head on his chest. "Let's just hope you'll be there before I get hurt then."

He laughed, instantly lightening the mood.

* * *

Tai knew he couldn't have gotten more than a few hours' sleep. So when he woke up to a loud rumbles and roars, his mind didn't discern what it might be. It was like a low buzz that grew louder and louder until Tai couldn't stand the noise anymore. He opened his eyes, fully prepared to yell at whoever was being so obnoxious, when he caught sight of the sky. A massive hoard of Digimon were heading straight towards him.

The others were beginning to wake up as well, unable to sleep through such noise.

"Up and at 'em, guys! Digimon at twelve o'clock." Tai shouted, instantly getting everyone up. Tai whipped around, calling to his Digimon as the Digidestined seized what was happening: they were being attacked, too late to run, so time to fight.

"Agumon!" Tai yelled, pulling out his digivice and allowing Agumon to become Greymon. The others followed suit, and soon enough, ten Digimon stood ready to fight. Biyomon was among them, despite her lack of ability to digivolve.

"Where's TK?" Cody called out, thinking it best if Ankylomon and Angemon digivolved to Shakkoumon.

"And I don't see Kari, either," Yolei added, looking around.

"They went off together last night." Gatomon informed them all. "Probably fell asleep. I'll go find them!" She shot off into the trees before anyone could stop her. Tokomon had come back with Gatomon and now raced after her.

Tai narrowed his eyes, but knew it was best to let Gatomon find them. "Damn. They had to go off now of all times?" He shook his head. "Okay, Digimon up front, people in the back. Let's make it easier for our partners to guard us." He ordered.

They dropped behind the trees, Tai beside Davis as they peeked around their's.

"They look like the same Digimon from yesterday," Davis suddenly pointed out.

"Only their numbers were one-third of this." Ken finished grimly.

Tai quickly counted the ones in the sky, assuming the same number for ones coming through the forest. "There's about twenty coming for us. This'll be one hell of a fight."

It about a minute more now, Tai estimated, before they reach us.

"Let's show them what we're made of." Greymon growled. He closed his mouth for a moment, flames gushing from it, before he launched his attack. "Nova Blast!" Immediately, more attacks were catapulted from both sides, thus beginning the fight.

* * *

It was Kari who instantly noticed something was wrong. She had awakened moments before to terrible shrieks and other piercing noises. Kari tried desperately to wake up TK, who was sleeping at her side, but he didn't budge. Kari—for maybe the first time in her life—cursed Joe for having given TK so much medicine. Really, who _carried_ medicine around? Especially the kind given through syringe.

But as Kari was ranting to herself, TK stirred. He opened his eyes, meeting Kari's and knowing at once something was wrong. He sat up, biting his lip as dizziness overtook him, beginning to form into a headache. "Ugh. What's happening?"

"I don't know." Kari said worriedly. "It sounds like a fight."

TK attempted to stand up, but ultimately needed Kari's help to finish the task. "Then we need to go help them."

"No! You are still injured." She hated doing it, but went for the cheap shot. "You could barely stand up even with my help. How are you going to help in the battle?"

"I don't know. But it feels wrong to be hiding back here." He didn't understand why she was trying so hard to keep him back; after all, he wasn't going to be in the actual fighting. "You have to feel it too."

"Yeah, I—"

She broke off. Just in front of them, the land seemed to sink in, like a sinkhole forming right before their eyes. Only it sank into darkness, then appearing like a black hole.

"What the hell," was all TK could think to say. Kari was dumbstruck. Then TK grasped that the hole was expanding, consuming everything it reached. "Kari, get out of here!" He shouted, trying to push her away.

"Not without you," she countered, grabbing his hand as they tried to get away, but TK stumbled, nearly falling.

"I'll just slow you down," he panted.

The hole was growing at a rate one foot per two or so seconds. But with the increasing circumference, it looked like one meter to one second in no time. It was catching up to TK and Kari. Before either of them could react, it had reached Kari. She lost her footing, plunging into the dark hole. Her screams were cut off when a hand caught her own.

"TK!" TK was bent over the hole, desperately trying to hold onto Kari. But he'd forgotten the hole moved, and he too fell into it.

Conveniently at that moment, Gatomon arrived in time to watch the two teenagers be consumed. A look of horror was on her face. Tokomon sprinted past her, not hesitating to through himself in after his partner. Gatomon willed herself to do the same.

A moment after the two Digimon jumped in, the black hole retracted and closed.

* * *

Tai swore under his breath when Greymon was slammed carelessly into the ground by a MetalPhantomon. Greymon picked himself back up, his eyes warily watching MetPhantomon. He didn't see Grizzlymon running straight for him, readying an attack. But Grizzlymon's claws never met Greymon. Ankylomon was right there, swinging his tail around and nailing Grizzlymon in the side.

Tai swore again. "We're getting our asses handed to us." Even as he said the words, he couldn't help but notice that the Digimon were working together as a team to fight off their opponents, despite being outnumbered. Tai had known it was wrong to split the team up, but now he understood why they needed to stay together.

"Hey, check this out!" Izzy suddenly hollered, grabbing everyone's attention from the battle. He had his back pressed against a tree and was typing furiously. "I just got an email from Gennai." His eyes scanned the computer screen quickly. "It says he's sending us some help. He thought we might need it."

"Yeah, I would say so—"

Tai was cut off as beams of light streaked through the sky past them. He watched in amazement at the rays hit the Digidestined's Digimon. Greymon with an orange light, Garurumon with a blue one, and so on. Even Biyomon was enveloped in a pink one. All of the Digimon except Imperialdramon, Ankylomon, and Aquilamon.

As they watched, the Digimon were changing. Digivolving. Becoming more powerful. Tai couldn't hold back a shout of joy at seeing MetalGreymon again. Now there was him, WereGarurumon, Zudomon, Lilymon, MegaKabuterimon, and Birdramon. Now the stakes were turned. One by one, all of the attacking Digimon were defeated, until no one was left.

The Digidestined ran from their cover behind the tree line, shouting and yelling out their victory. As Tai went to congratulate MetalGreymon, he stopped. Kari and TK still hadn't shown up. . .

* * *

Can't say how long it will be until the next chapter is up. I actually have the plot written, now I just have to make it into a legit chapter.

And I promise everything will be explained. And Sora will be seen again soon. Maybe not the next chapter, but the one after that.


	8. White Lake

**THE LINK  
**

Sorry for the delay in updating; I really am trying to keep the story going. I have a general idea of how the next couple of chapters will play out. It might seem cliché at first, but it actually will tie in with the plot and how the Digidestined will try to reach Sora from where she's locked away in the castle (wow, just realized how cliché _that_ is).

Anyway. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this and appreciate all reviews, even though I don't comment directly about them.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon.

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**WHITE LAKE**

TK opened his eyes, feeling the hard ground beneath him and distinctly remember having fallen into . . . something. He reached a hand up and felt the back of his head, but could detect no bump that suggested he'd hit his head. In fact, he didn't feel sore at all. Strange. What was more unusual was the fact that he could remember falling, but never landing. It was possible he could have blacked out on impact, but if it had truly been bad enough to knock him out, then wouldn't he be hurt?

He sat up quickly—no dizziness—and noticed that Kari was curled up on her side a couple feet from him. Gatomon was flat on her back next to Kari, sleeping peacefully, making little cat noises. Seeing them, reminded TK of his own Digimon. But he didn't have to look far to find Patamon, rolled up in a tight ball. TK picked him up, gently waking him. He blinked up at TK, asking, "Can you close the blinds?"

"We're in the Digital World still, sorry," TK laughed, relieved. "In some sort of meadow, by the looks of it." He set Patamon on his usual perch that was TK's head and looked back over at Kari as she stirred. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Kari jumped up, waking immediately as TK had. She glanced around wildly, before becoming confused. "We're . . . huh?" She couldn't form the right question, and shook her head in wonder at what had happened.

"I don't really know." TK said. "The last thing I can remember is falling into a black hole-like-thing."

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting, too," Kari replied. "But that doesn't make sense. You'd think we would remember, well, _crashing._"

"You would think so."

Gatomon opened one eye, yawning loudly. "All I know is that you two should learn to sleep more." She stretched out her legs as she joined them. "Hey there, Patamon. I thought you were permanently stuck as Tokomon."

"Hey!" Patamon protested.

"No, Gatomon's right," TK interrupted thoughtfully.

"TK, that's not very nice," Patamon said indignantly.

"Not that you wouldn't digivolve again, Patamon, but that you _have_ digivolved." TK explained quickly.

Kari reached out and snagged TK's arm, lifting it up for a better view and twisting it around gently. "Not a scratch on you. You don't like you're in pain anymore, TK."

"Well, I don't feel in pain." TK mused. "In fact, I feel great. More than great. Like I could leap across buildings."

"Let's save that for when you become a stuntman," Gatomon said dryly.

TK and Kari laughed. Gatomon waved her gloved hand for silence. "So all we know is that a black hole opened up in the ground and sucked us all in, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"And that it somehow healed TK and Patamon, and is making everyone feel like a million bucks." Gatomon finished. "I don't know whether to hate this place or love it. At least no one's attacked us yet."

"Wait a second," Kari said slowly. "Just before the hole opened up—wasn't something happening with the others?"

"A fight." Gatomon confirmed grimly. "Our friends were being attacked. They looked really outnumbered."

"They needed our help, and we just left." Kari sighed.

TK placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't talk like that, Kari. There was no way we could have known what was going to happen."

"Yeah, Kari, I mean, who knew when you and TK went for a little walk that your friends would be attacked?" Gatomon supplied.

Patamon rolled his eyes. How sweet Kari ended up with sarcastic Gatomon was beyond the little Digimon's understanding.

"Now we'll just have to find a way to get back to the others, how ever that may be." TK resolved, easily stepping up to the leadership role.

Kari looked admiringly at him, nodding her agreement. It was another reason why she liked TK—he could easily become a leader if he had to, but preferred to stay on the sidelines until he was needed. "What should we do first?"

TK smiled sheepishly. "Don't laugh at me but I think we should try going straight up. There might be some sort of vortex there that will take us back."

"It's worth a shot," Kari said. "Might as well give it a try." She turned to her partner. "You up for it, Gatomon?"

"I was made to be _up_ for it." Gatomon said.

Patamon scratched his head. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Gatomon rolled her eyes. "Let's digivolve already and get this over with."

"Digi-Armor Energize!" TK and Kari shouted together. Their Digimon were engulfed in yellow and pink lights, transforming into magnificent beasts. The two hopped on top of the Digimon, who immediately took flight, flying straight up as their plan decreed.

After a couple minutes, Pegasusmon broke the silence, saying, "I don't see anything, TK."

"Yeah, me neither," TK replied. "I don't think we're going to find anything up here."

"You're right, let's go back."

Pegasusmon and Nefertimon slowly coasted their way back to the ground, not wanting to startle their partners by a sudden descent. Plus, there really didn't feel like a reason to rush around in this place. Another weird quirk.

After they landed, Pegasusmon returned to his usual form and flopped back onto TK's head, where he also had a better view of the land around him. Nefertimon followed suit in a more regal manner. The four made their way to the edge of the meadow they had landed in, continuing on into the forest.

As they went on, TK spoke up to Patamon, curiosity in his voice. "Hey, Patamon, remember when you digivolved a few moments ago?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"When you did, it felt the same as when you digivolve to MagnaAngemon."

Patamon hesitated for a moment before saying, "I wasn't going to mention it, but since you did . . . I felt exactly like I did when I became MagnaAngemon." He went on wistfully. "Do you think I'll ever be able to become him again?"

"I'm sure you will. MagnaAngemon is a part of you; you can't get rid of him that easily."

Patamon relaxed. "Thanks, TK."

Farther back, Gatomon was having a hard time convincing Kari she didn't have anything to worry about. Kari was just short of hyperventilating. She had started to think of everything that was happening—Sora's disappearance, the Digimon attack on the mountain, the black hole; it was becoming too much for her to handle. They had been searching desperately for days for answers, but had come up empty. What made her feel worse was the fact that no one else seemed to be losing their cool. Even Tai. But then, Tai was perfect. He couldn't do a single thing wrong.

Kari let out a slow breath, and was able to smile reassuringly at Gatomon. Yeah, that was it. She would be just like Tai to get through this. No problem.

Kari felt like telling TK this, but hesitated and decided not to. TK had made it clear in the past that he didn't like Kari's dependency on her brother, thinking she should be herself, not Tai's younger sister.

Gatomon could sense the change in her partner's feelings: from desperation to reluctant determination. Silently, the cat willed Kari to stay hopeful.

* * *

Tai angrily kicked a stone, sending it flying. He looked around for something else to kick, ignoring the fact that nearly everyone was watching him. Except for Izzy, who was busy typing on his computer.

"One more thing _annnnnd_ sent!" He called out to Tai. "I replied to Gennai. It should just be a minute or two before— Oh, never mind. He's just replied."

Everyone crowded around Izzy, eager to see what Gennai had to say. Tai watched sullenly, his arms folded across his chest. Who cared? Kari was gone now, on top of Sora missing.

Izzy quickly scan through the email, berating the others for blocking his light. "He says '_I'm glad you were able to fight off the Digimon successfully. I'm sure you have many questions for me to answer. Why don't you all stop by my house and we can share a cup of tea again?'_"

"A cup of tea? Is this guy insane?" Davis stared at the screen in puzzlement.

Yolei elbowed him as Izzy exclaimed, "He's not in insane; Gennai is absolutely a genius!"

Davis rubbed his arm, muttering, "Jeez, sorry. Didn't know I wasn't allowed to even make a joke anymore." Everyone ignored him.

"There's also a postscript." Izzy went on. "_'I was sorry to hear that TK and Kari have also disappeared. But I think you'll be happy to hear where they have gone.'_ I guess this confirms those two have gone."

Tai charged over, ripping the laptop out of Izzy's hands and reading the email himself. He about dropped the electronic device, carelessly shoving it back to its owner. "We're going to Gennai's."

Matt sighed, shaking his head slightly. He and Tai had once gotten into a fight because Matt was more concerned with finding TK than figuring out where he and Tai where. Now Tai was acting the same as Matt had: refusing to be rational or be concerned about himself and the others. Well Matt wasn't going to let it slide.

"How do we even know this is actually Gennai? I wouldn't put it past the Digimon that this is an imposter."

"It's obviously Gennai, Matt. Get over yourself. And if he knows anything about Kari then we have to talk to him." Tai growled.

Izzy quickly defused the forming argument. "No, it's Gennai. I've traced the I.P. address from the email and it leads straight to his house."

"Well, okay then. I have no idea what Izzy just said, but it sounds like we're good to go for Gennai's place. Imperialdramon can take us all." Davis offered.

The rest of the Digimon heard this, and took it to mean they could revert to their previous forms. One by one they did so, all of the older Digimon going back to their in-training forms. Tai looked at them in dismay. The Digimon were completely exhausted. Did that mean they weren't as strong as before?

The flight to Gennai's was short, but that wasn't too unusual. Imperialdramon landed just off a shimmering lake that was crystal clear. As the group emerged from the Digimon, they noticed an old man waiting for them.

"Ah, it's good to see you all again! I'm afraid you won't want to say the same for me, though." Gennai chuckled at himself. But it was evident to what he was talking about as Davis, Yolei, Ken, and Cody all gaped at him. They were only used to seeing Gennai as young and youthful, not as a withered old man.

Tai pushed forward, shaking Gennai's hand. "I hope you weren't kidding when you said you could help us find Kari."

"And TK." Matt added.

"All in good time," Gennai responded pleasantly. "But, please, come in. You all must be tired."

Yolei looked around impatiently. "Come in where exactly? I don't see a door—oh, _wow!_ Look at this, Ken! The stairs are going straight into the lake." Yolei skipped over to them, dragging Ken along with her.

Cody looked critically at the entrance. "I hope we don't need a bathing suit."

"Not to worry, Cody. You'll stay perfectly dry as long as you don't try to catch any fish." Joe told him confidently, leading the others down the stairs.

Tai was to follow when someone gripped his arm with surprising force. He looked up to see it was Gennai.

"I'm not surprised your Digimon are tired. It's been a while since they've been able to reach that level. But you shouldn't worry about it. I think you have enough on your mind as it is." Gennai released Tai's arm, and the two went down the stairs.

Tai was silent, unsure of how Gennai could have guessed his earlier worries. He watched Davis stick his hand into the water, yelping at how cold it was, only to try a moment later to catch a fish.

"Sometimes I wish children would remain like that," Gennai said quietly.

Once inside, Gennai poured everyone tea as they seated themselves at the table. The Digimon had been placed in the other room so they could have a chance to sleep. The old man seated himself at the head position, blowing on his own cup and taking a sip before he would talk.

"It was Azulongmon who sent you the power to digivolve." Gennai immediately caught everyone's attention as they leaned closer. "I happened to be out on a stroll when I heard some Digimon talking about an attack on the Digidestined, and how you were clearly outnumbered. I contacted my old friend and he agreed to lend you strength, but he told me it would only be temporary. I told him that whatever he could give would be enough." He took another drink.

"But, Gennai, do you know who attacked us? Davis told me it's the same Digimon from the mountain but someone had to have sent them." Tai insisted.

"You are right, Tai. Perhaps the enemy you seek has already found you."

"You mean the person who took Sora is behind the attacks?" Mimi asked.

"Correct."

"Is Azulongmon's power still around? Can we still use it?" Tai went on.

"That, I'm afraid, I do not know. Azulongmon did not specify if there was a time limit or usage capacity. The only thing I can tell is that you should assume it's all used up; it would be unwise to rely on something that will eventually disappear." Gennai said.

"Kari and TK thought of finding Azulongmon." Tai mused. "They were looking for some sort of way to reach him."

"And they were smart to do so! Too bad for them Azulongmon isn't someone you can call upon at will. Even those who have been chosen."

"Gennai," Matt spoke up, "do you know anything that can help us find Sora or TK and Kari?"

"Directly? No. But I can offer you some advice which has served me well in the past. Where one thing has gone missing, others might follow."

Tai considered the advice, at first thinking it meant everyone would go missing. But that didn't make sense. He then took it to mean that TK and Kari were now with Sora. He was about to ask so when he caught Gennai's eye as the elder nodded ever so slightly in confirmation.

Gennai sipped casually from his tea, draining it. "Why don't all of you go relax for a few hours? I daresay you didn't get much sleep last night. I would just have to advise not wandering too far off, or bothering the fish." He looked meaningfully at Davis. "Your Digimon should be all healed up in about an hour or so. They're lucky they have an amazing healing system; I'm pretty jealous of it myself."

They all stared for a moment before realizing they had been dismissed. They quickly excused themselves, going off to do different things. All except for Tai. He noticed Davis's devilish face as he rubbed his hands together and climbed back up the stairs that led to the lake.

"I wanted to ask you one more thing," Tai explained.

"Go on, then."

"When Sora first went missing, some Digimon found us and gave us a poem that told us how to find her, but that we wouldn't be able to." He shook his head, unable to explain properly. "It was something like this: _The human you may seek, but shall never discover. Land untouched and pure. You are forbidden to enter._"

"Yes, I figured the matter of _where_ would come up." Gennai said thoughtfully. "And it shames me to say that I do not know the exact answer. I know that this place _is_ in the Digital World, and that it is carries Digimon who think that humans are ruining their world and are trying to preserve it in an untainted form, as they call it. Only rare and exotic Digimon are allowed to live there. Although mistakes have been known to happen and unwanted visitors will get in. It is to my knowledge that those Digimon are destroyed without being allowed a chance to return."

"Do you think that's what happened to Kari and TK?"

"It's possible. And while it might seem like my information is vast, it really isn't, and will do very little to help." Gennai stood up. "Before I leave you to your thoughts, Tai, I will say one more thing. Do not forget the trials the Digidestined have already undergone. If they've happened once, then they do not need to happen again."

* * *

TK knew they must have been walking for a good couple hours by the way the sun hung directly overhead. It had been morning when they first arrived, and now it must have been midday. But it didn't feel like a lot of time had passed; TK felt the same as when they had first started out. Kari didn't seem fatigued either, although she was never one to voice her discomforts.

The forest they were walking through didn't carry the usual "spookiness" that movies and books portrayed. It was peaceful and open, if not unusually silent without birds and insects chirping.

TK paused for a moment, waiting for Kari to catch up. She had lagged behind him a few steps, and he'd slowed his pace for her, but she seemed to want to walk alone. Now she was even further behind, gazing up at the trees with a look of wonder.

"Hey, Kari!" He called out to her finally, breaking her reverie. "I know it's just shy of a miracle that no one has attacked us, but I think we might actually want to find some Digimon this time."

She made her way over to him. "Why?"

"Because we have know clue where we are."

"That makes sense." Kari said. TK thought she was being unhabitually silent, especially for them being alone.

Gatomon jumped down from a tree that was just above head. Patamon glided down after her. "If you two were any slower, Patamon and I might have to be the Digimon to attack you." Gatomon grumbled.

"I can tell you where you are," interrupted a young voice. He leaped out of the shadows, hackles raised and claws unsheathed. "You're trespassing in my territory."

Gatomon and Patamon immediately dashed forward, taking defense in front of Kari and TK.

"And who are you?" Gatomon hissed.

"Liollmon," he spat.

TK raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Liollmon, we didn't mean to intrude. We're lost and—"

"Shut up! I don't want excuses." Liollmon took a step forward, crouching to the ground as he prepared to attack.

Gatomon was glaring at him when she suddenly realized he had a Holy Ring around his neck. "Wait!" She leaped closer to him, landing gracefully. "You're a brother." She twisted her tail forward to show him her own Holy Ring.

But Liollmon wasn't interested in what Gatomon had to say, as he mistook her for attacking. Anger boiled in his eyes as a light enveloped him and he digivolved to Liamon, not hesitating to attack.

"Gatomon!" Kari screamed. Her D-3 flashed, sending a familiar pink light at her Digimon.

"Gatomon digivolve to . . . Angewomon!" Angewomon rose from where Gatomon had been, deflecting Liamon's attack.

"Patamon, help out!" TK called, allowing for Patamon to digivolve to Angemon.

Sparks formed throughout Liamon's mane and he charged Angewomon. She moved to dodge, but one of Liamon's paws caught her, leaving behind noticeable scratch marks.

Angewomon gritted her teeth. "Watch out for him, Angemon. He's strong for a Champion."

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon sent his signature attack at Liollmon, but the lion deflected it with ease.

Liollmon readied himself for another attack, but was caught of guard by a speeding arrow and leaped out of the way. Angewomon joined Angemon. The flying Digimon were at a disadvantage in the forest.

"TK, I think now would be the right time to see if I can digivolve to MagnaAngemon." Angemon told his partner.

TK was always struck by Angemon's majestic voice. He nodded quickly, holding up his digivice so that a beam of yellow went to Angemon, immersing him in light. The form grew several extra wings and much bigger, as Angemon now emerged to be MagnaAngemon.

"It's good to see you again, old friend." Angewomon greeted warmly.

The two Holy Digimon looked back at Liamon. Angewomon drew back another arrow, and MagnaAngemon readied his sword. But Liamon seemed to be frozen in place. His eyes jerked between the them before he stepped back, lowering his head. "My apologies," he said in a deep voice, "I did not realize who I was attacking." His tail twitched behind him.

TK grasped the moment to question Liamon. "Do you know where we are?"

Liamon briefly shifted his attention to TK, before going back to Angewomon's. She met his gaze emotionlessly. "No. I woke up one day in this place. It was quiet and peaceful so I claimed it as my own territory. I saw nothing wrong with staying."

"But do you remember how you got here?" TK persisted. "We were in the Digital World when a hole opened in the ground and sucked us up."

"No. I do not remember."

"Have you seen any other humans around?" Kari jumped in.

"Besides you two? None." Liamon answered. "I must ask that you leave this forest. Even if you are a sister and brother, I cannot allow you to stay here. _Please._" He added as an afterthought.

"Of course we will. Thanks for answering our questions." TK said. Liamon looked at him strangely.

Angewomon and MagnaAngemon swooped down, picking up their partners, and flying above the tree line.

"Which way, TK?"

"Hm . . . That way, I guess. Where we were walking towards." TK pointed to the edge of Liamon's forest.

They made quick time to where TK had pointed. Angewomon and MagnaAngemon carefully set down Kari and TK before reverting to Gatomon and Patamon. Patamon flew into TK's arms, his eyes shining.

"We did it, TK! I became MagnaAngemon." He spewed.

"Yeah, you did. And you were amazing! You don't even look tired." TK observed.

"I'm not. I felt like I could have stayed as MagnaAngemon forever."

"I felt the same way." Gatomon added, looking fondly up at Kari. "Being Angewomon was great."

"I bet it was," Kari agreed, scratching her Digimon behind the ears, causing Gatomon to close her eyes and purr. "TK, why did you thank Liamon before we left?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; it just felt like the right thing to do. I figured if we were nice to him, Liamon might help us out in the future."

Gatomon opened her eyes. "Liamon is a pretty uncommon Digimon. I was surprised to see him here. And since when can Patamon and I digivolve to Ultimate level?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you two couldn't do that before." TK said. "It must be this place. It healed me and Patamon, too, don't forget."

"So this piece of land in the Digital World has healing powers, strengthening abilities, and rare Digimon." Kari concluded.

"How about a way out?" Gatomon asked.

"I don't think we'll want to find a way out yet," TK said with a smile. "It sounds like we're in a place _untouched by humans._"

"Sora." Kari said, catching on.

"Exactly."


	9. Food Chain

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon

**CHAPTER NINE**

**FOOD CHAIN**

The following morning found Tai scouring the house for Gennai. It was still early, and everyone was still asleep. Except for Matt. Tai had spied him staring out the window, a look of deep concentration filling his face. The two boys had seemed to patch things up, if not only in the light of TK being attacked and the ensuing fight. Neither had brought up the subject of Sora on a more personal level. Right now, Tai hardly cared who Sora was in a relationship with; all that mattered was bringing her home.

Tai felt a familiar flare of restlessness. He struggled to tame it, to keep himself but performing one of his trademark reckless decisions. But it was becoming hard not to with the Digidestined's lack of improvement in the situation.

"Tai, there you are." Tai jumped, spinning around on one fought so that he faced Gennai. He wanted to roll his eyes about the fact that Gennai was searching for _him_, but decided against it.

"Yeah, I could say the same thing," Tai joked weakly.

Gennai raised an eyebrow. "Yesterday you seemed to be very interested in the place Sora's been taken. Unless you'd rather I not tell you . . . ?"

"No, no. I want to know." Tai said hastily.

"Very well. It isn't a coincidence that TK and Kari have disappeared. And their Digimon have gone with them, so they will face no imminent danger. Furthermore, I have found out that this land is ruled by a single Digimon. This Digimon believes that he controls who enters his kingdom, but he is only fooling himself." Gennai went on. "But that is all I know. The Digimon's identity remains a heavily guarded secret that few Digimon know."

"Thank you, Gennai." Tai said. "Any information we can get will help."

"You are welcome, Tai." Gennai folded his arms across his back, walking away, humming lightly.

So Gennai thinks TK and Kari disappearing isn't a coincidence, Tai thought. I guess that means we go back to finding this place—

Any further thoughts were cut off by Davis racing into the room, Gomamon tucked under his arm, and racing out the door that led back up to the lake. The rest of the group followed more slowly, yawning and stretching.

"What's for breakfast?" Yolei asked, rubbing her eye from beneath her glasses.

"I think Davis is planning on seafood." Tai smiled.

"If he's counting on Gomamon, I'm afraid he'll go hungry!" Joe chuckled.

Grinning, Tai said, "There's some food in the other room. Gennai set it out for us." Having already eaten, the leader turned away, following after Davis, but for a different reason. Tai needed space to think. What better a place than a lake?

The clock was ticking. The Digidestined would want a plan of action from Tai, and he wanted to give them one. There would be no mistakes this time. He couldn't guarantee no one would get hurt, but he would do his best to keep them all safe.

This reminded Tai of TK and the attack in the mountain. Suddenly, he remembered that Davis and the others had found an Oryxmon, leading for something to happen to TK. Tai swore under his breath; they had never found out what had happened to TK in the ice cave. Damn.

Walking outside, Tai noticed Davis instructing Gomamon. He smiled softly, but went the opposite direction of the pair.

Tai carefully laid out everything he knew in front of them, moving the pieces around to see if it was all some sort of answer to the riddle, but none of it made sense. He came back to the same conclusion again and again: He would never find Sora. Not a particularly helpful answer.

_Maybe I'm just thinking to hard about this,_ Tai looked around, noticing most everyone had come up. _Maybe the answer's right in front of me and I'm too big of an idiot to notice._ What Tai really needed was someone who was good at puzzles. Izzy's thinking was too straightforward; Yolei was all for computers and various other technologic gizmos, and Tai wasn't really sure where Ken stood on the genius scale. Obviously, he was still considerably smarter than the average human, but would he able to figure it out?

Tai narrowed his eyes at the point of entrance, watching as Matt appeared seemingly from nowhere. And just like that, it clicked. Everything arranged itself in the perfect order for Tai to understand.

"Of course! That's been it the whole time." He laughed, so overjoyed that he didn't care if he sounded slightly crazy. "I can't believe the fucking answer was that simple!" Still laughing to himself, he broke into a jog to reach the rest of the group.

* * *

"Hey, Kari, catch!"

Kari looked up in time to see TK toss something down to her. She caught it easily, seeing that it was an apple. TK dropped down from the tree in front her, bringing more apples with him. Kari brushed the fruit across the bottom of her shirt, vainly trying to clean it. She gave up, taking a bite, becoming pleasantly surprised to find it was extremely sweet.

"Nice find. I'm kind of surprise the Digital World would have something we're familiar with," Kari laughed as she and TK sat down. The mood between them had lightened considerably. Both were still very aware of what needed to be done, and they had no idea how to reach the other Digidestined, but it felt nice to be able to relax again.

"God knows how big this place is," Kari went on, "but how do we find Sora?"

"Well, the Digimon we need to find probably won't be living inconspicuously. They would want it known that they're the top dogs and you should be being down to them."

"That makes sense," Kari agreed. "So, what then? We look for a palace?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

Gatomon walked over, twirling an unusual looking fruit in her paws. It was red, the shape of a curved horn. "Why don't you just find another a Digimon and ask them? Patamon and I won't mind." Her gleamed at the thought of returning to Angewomon.

"Yeah, especially if we're right about these pompous guys." TK said, briefly allowing himself a victory smile.

"That's great and all," Kari spoke up, "but we've been walking around since our fight with Liamon and I haven't seen a single Digimon since. And he only attacked us because we were in his territory."

"Maybe we're not in the right place. This could be the 'secretive' zone, or something." Kari elbowed TK in the side.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I!" TK protested.

Kari rolled her eyes, knocking her shoulder against his. Before she could react, TK grabbed her, bringing his mouth down to hers. Kari parted her lips, deepening the kiss. He gently pushed her back on the ground. But Kari pulled away before anything else could happen.

"That was nice." She breathed. TK shifted so that he was lying on his back beside her.

"With everything that's been happening, we really haven't had a chance to be alone." TK mused. Kari always managed to make him feel juvenile, the way his palms sweat and heart raced every time they were together; she came off as calm and collected. TK had once thought with her comments after they kissed were like she was thanking him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm still hungry!" Gatomon sprinted over, collecting three apples for herself. She had left as soon as she'd seen the two humans becoming "closer," as Kari had once described it. Gatomon couldn't quite understand everything humans did, but soon figured out she really didn't want to know the reasons behind it. The species were too complicated; Digimon were straightforward with their emotions.

"No, it's okay, Gatomon. We'll keep it strictly G rated." Kari said before Gatomon could run off again.

Kari must have been serious, because she ignored the disappointment on TK's face, pulling herself to a sitting position. Gatomon looked down at her three apples, reluctant to return them to the pile; instead, she chose a sunny patch of light under a tree. Gatomon hated to share food, considering it to be one of the five biggest atrocities of the world. Second only to dogs.

TK followed Kari, his knee bumping against hers. "So what's the plan then? We fly around on Pegasusmon and Nefertimon until we find someone?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I'm not Tai, so I don't really know much about making elaborate plans." She smiled.

TK reached for more food. "Trust me; I don't think Tai plans that far ahead either."

* * *

A large door opened, revealing the first rays of light Sora had seen in days. She turned away, not wanting to see if her eyes would burn out from the sudden exposure. Her stomach grumbled. Apparently food was not necessary for people in the Digital World, but the feeling of hunger remained. So did the fatigue.

She shook her head stubbornly, refusing to allow herself to think of noodles in a beef broth, ice cold water, perhaps a long bath. . . _What the hell, Sora?_ She growled at herself. So much for that.

The Digimon that had opened the doors stopped, muttering indistinct words. Sora had no time to prepare herself as her chains retracted and she fell. She opened her mouth to scream, but her "fall" was over before any noise could be made. Sora picked herself up, her legs trembling from weakness.

"Come here, human." The Digimon commanded.

Sora tottered over to him, too tired to protest or stand her ground. She was glad her friends couldn't see her state. Her television that Kingsmon had used to show her friends fighting and splitting up had stayed black. Sora allowed herself to believe it was because they were getting somewhere and Kingsmon didn't want her to get hopeful.

She sighed. Thinking of the screen reminded her of the times she had seen Matt or Tai painted across it. How her stomach did somersaults and heart raced upon seeing Tai, and how she felt an incredible amount of guilt and quiet longing when Matt was shown. The whole thing made her fidget uncomfortably, part of her wanting to see the two boys and set everything straight, and another part shrinking away from the idea of having to ever see either of them again.

Sora narrowed her eyes as she saw it was Sphinxmon waiting for her. She had no idea what he was thinking or feeling since he always had the same appearance.

"Come with me," he rumbled, arching his body as he turned around, passing between the open doors. Sora dolefully followed, wondering if whatever this was was for good behavior. Doubtful, but hey, anything could happen at that point.

Sphinxmon stopped next to a small door. "Go in there and serve yourself food. You have ten minutes." He padded on.

Sora practically shoved the door off its hinges, eager for food. She stopped short, surprised to see the kitchen was old-fashioned with open cupboards with wooden bowls and other various cooking details. She quickly located a metal plate before making it over to the refrigerator (about the only modernized item), ripping the door open. She rifled through its contents, pulling out several things and topping it off with bottled water. She seated herself at the table, eating at record speed that would have made even Davis proud.

She was still inhaling her food when Sphinxmon returned, growling in a way that Sora couldn't mistake. She stood up, rejuvenated, gulping down the water as she headed for the door. She tossed the empty bottle back on the table as she opened the door. Sphinxmon peered past her, snorting at the mess Sora had left. Sora was pretty sure she'd been close to reaching hell in this place; who was she to care about a mess she had created? They could go fuck themselves if the Digimon were that finicky about staying clean.

Sphinxmon led her to a different chamber, bigger than the average room but with a sense of privacy about it. Pale light emitted from small stands with tall candles atop them. Sphinxmon faced her saying, "I have a proposition for you and your friends. This is the only place Kingsmon has no eyes within the castle."

Sora lightly bit down her tongue before she could say something to get in trouble.

Sphinxmon paced back and forth for a moment before rounding on her. "Kingsmon must be terminated. His leadership has been wrought with mistakes and idiocy."

"So you want to take his place? I think that whole second in command killing the first has already been done." Sora said.

"No." He responded coldly. "Someone much more deserving will become leader. He will bypass Kingsmon in every way. But before that can happen, I require your help." He paused, but Sora made no acknowledgement. "Perhaps you will be more eager to do as I ask if I were to tell you that two of the Digidestined and nearby."

Sora stiffened. "Who is it?"

"First, you help me."

"Tell me what I have to do."

Sphinxmon sat down. "I am resurrecting my old master. He is sealed away in the deepest, darkest place within this earth. But in order to accomplish the task, I need several DigiCores. I have acquired many, but it is not enough. You should know I already have full support from the army; after all, I practically raised them since they hatched, teaching them to fight and digivolve. Maybe not with methods the _Digidestined_ would have used, but it has worked out."

Sora scrunched up her nose. "DigiCore?"

"Yes, DigiCore. They carry the very soul of a Digimon, a kernel that acts out the individual processes of a Digimon. They are extremely valuable and very rare."

"So am I supposed to find these DigiCores? How many do you need, exactly?"

"I need two more. They are here within the barriers of Paradise, but out of my reach. Your team is on the brink of entering, but they must withstand trials Kingsmon has prepared for them. Those that make it through you must speak to and send them to find the DigiCores."

"In exchange for what?" Sora asked slowly.

"What is it that you want?" Sphinxmon countered.

"Well, I'd kind of like to go free but I'm pretty sure you won't agree to that." Sora looked up hopefully, but Sphinxmon didn't react. "So I guess I'll ask for in exchange that you neither hurt nor capture my friends, meaning all of the Digidestined and their Digimon, and . . . all of them make it here whether they pass those trial-thingies you mentioned earlier."

"Deal." Sphinxmon said quickly. "I have someone to help you find the DigiCores, so that the job can be done quickly." A door that Sora had not seen earlier opened. A Gazimon appeared, holding a chain between two hands as he dragged a goat-like Digimon in.

"Nice to see you again, Oryxmon." Sphinxmon growled. He spoke to the Gazimon then. "And you—did you hear everything I told this human child?"

"Yes, sir, I did," Gazimon said nervously.

"I thought so." Sphinxmon reared back unexpectedly, coming back down and crushing Gazimon between his claws, so that the Digimon turned into nothing more than particles of data.

* * *

"I was sure I smelled someone here!" Gatomon grumbled to herself, pressing her nose to the ground and shaking her head in frustration. "No, the scent is recent."

The four had been flying around when Gatomon had thought she smelled a Digimon. They then landed in a grassy field, but Gatomon couldn't find the Digimon.

That is, until she sat up, a look of disgust on her face. "I think I found our culprit." She pointed father ahead, where a dark figure could only just be seen.

"Good job," Kari congratulated her. "Let's go talk to him."

TK folded his hand into hers as they walked. She smiled, pleased by the small gesture. TK might have been Kari's first serious boyfriend, but she had no worries about their relationship. But now wasn't the greatest time to consider all of the pros of her relationship with TK.

The silhouette turned out to be a sleeping Labramon. He looked so peaceful, Kari didn't have the heart to wake him. Gatomon, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

"Wake up!" She shrieked.

Labramon jolted awake, immediately turning on Gatomon, growling. Gatomon hissed back, her fur bristling.

"Gatomon, stop it!" Kari chastised. "That wasn't very nice."

Gatomon continued to stare down Labramon. The dog snorted, but was forced to look away, unable to hold her gaze.

"I presume you woke me up for a reason?" He scratched behind his ear, his hind leg moving rapidly.

"Yeah," TK began, "we—"

"Hey, wait a minute." Labramon interrupted, ceasing his scratching. "You two are humans. And you're Digimon are . . ."

"Are _what_?" Kari asked angrily.

"Well, not exactly first place material, that's for sure." He shrugged. "You just don't see a lot of humans around here. Actually, I have never seen a human before, just heard everyone talking about one being here."

"Sora!" Kari gasped.

"So you know where she is?" TK asked quickly.

"Sure, it's not like it's a big secret." Labramon looked between them, close to shrugging again before understanding that his nonchalance over the first human would not go over well. "And will you stop glaring at me?" He turned on Gatomon, lifting his teeth in a snarl.

"Come on, Gatomon, stop." Kari had to lean over and pick up the reluctant Digimon. Gatomon broke off her harsh gaze, merely looking grumpy.

"Okay, but can you tell us where we can Sora?" TK went on.

Labramon nibbled at his paw. "Sora?"

"The human!" Kari cried out impatiently. Gatomon snickered in her arms.

"Oh. The human besides you two? Yeah, I can tell you."

Kari was ready chuck Gatomon back at the Digimon. Instead, she said, "Please share it with us then."

"You have to go the castle," Labramon said unhelpfully.

"And that would be . . . where?" TK said.

"I don't know."

"TK," Kari said, "I think in a couple minutes your opinion of me might change greatly."

"Oh, relax," Labramon laughed. "I can't tell you where the castle is, but I can tell you where to go to find it."

Kari just looked at him.

"See, it's right over there. Kind of north-ish with a little east thrown in." He pointed with one paw.

"Great, let's go then," Kari began walking in the direction when Labramon stopped her.

"Wait! You can't just _go_ the castle. You would obliterated by Sphinxmon!"

"Sphinxmon? Who's that?" TK asked.

"He's . . . " Labramon dropped his voice to a whisper, "he's the Lords right-hand-man."

"Did you say Lords?" Kari said, frowning.

"Sh! Do you want them to find me?" Labramon glanced around nervously. "Look, I really shouldn't be telling you any of this, but you two look nice enough. Maybe not the cat or the impatient girl, but you two I would definitely peg as nice." He nodded at TK and Patamon.

"Thanks?" TK said in confusion.

"You're welcome." Labramon nodded again. "See? What'd I tell you? Nice as can be!"

"Labramon," Kari stated, "what were you going to tell us?"

"Well you see," he sat down, eyes solemn, "it's all about the order of things: the food chain."

"Is this guy for real?" Gatomon muttered.

Labramon went on. "There's an order of things at the castle. At the top are the Lords, whose name no one knows because they aren't good enough to. After him is Sphinxmon, he oversees all of the troops and gives out commands and punishments. Then there are various other Digimon within the castle with different jobs—some clean, some work the databases. You get the picture. And then there is the army. The best of the best and the scum all put together. Only certain types are allowed. The highest Digimon there are the ones who have digivolved, like Cerberumon. After him would be Seasaramon, Dobermon, Sangloupmon, Gururumon, and Gaogamon. And at the very bottom are Digimon like me, Labramon."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Kari asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there." Labramon said. "There aren't as many Cerberumon as the other types. And Dobermon and Seasaramon seem to be the most common. Personally I think Sangloupmon, Gururumon, and Gaogamon get better treatment than the others. But only those guys get to go out in battle. Rookie level Digimon like me stay at the castle and train until we learn how to fight or digivolve."

"What happens if you never digivolve?" TK inquired.

"You get deleted. Rookie Digimon aren't good for a whole lot. I got out of there before they could do that to me." He shrugged, unconcerned by his desertion status. "But if you want to get into the castle and rescue your friend, you have to know the place inside and out. Which means knowing the army. Which means knowing the food chain, whose at the top and bottom."

"But how does knowing the 'food chain' really help?"

Labramon thought for a moment, before the reason behind his whole speech returned. "If you know who to target and take out, then the whole army crumbles, right? Lesser Digimon have no idea what to do without anyone telling them. You should also know that Sphinxmon plans on taking leadership from the Lords. But without the army . . . "

"He would have no one to back him up and give him power." TK concluded. "Thanks, Labramon."

"No problem," he said cheerfully.

"What about taking Sphinxmon down directly? How do we do that?" Kari asked.

"Gee, I don't really know."

"Right. Then I think we'll be going. TK?" Kari looked over at him.

"Yeah, we should be. Thanks for the help, Labramon."

When they were a fairly good distance away, Kari released Gatomon, saying, "That was helpful."

"No, I really think it was," TK insisted, catching on to her sarcasm. "For what rank Labramon was at, he seemed to know a lot. Maybe not all of it was helpful, but at least we know where we're going."

"And what are we going to do with 'the food chain'?" Kari rolled his eyes.

TK smiled. "You never know. Labramon might really be on to something."

* * *

A bit of a filler chapter with some crap thrown in to keep you entertained. :P

But at least now you know what's happening with Sora (who is a very bad negotiator) and that all of the Digidestined will soon be joining TK and Kari.


	10. Evolution

**THE LINK**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Digimon.

**CHAPTER TEN**

**EVOLUTION**

"So you think we have to go _down_ to find Sora?" Matt repeated for the third time, skepticism filling his voice.

The Digidestined had been outside of Gennai's house when Tai had run over, eager to explain his idea. But he'd found it difficult to convey it to the others, and they were understandably confused.

"Yes, that's what I said," Tai answered. He was trying his best to hold in his impatience, only because he knew he wasn't making much sense.

"You're implying that there are multiple layers to the Digital World, and the one below is where Sora has been taken," Izzy concluded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But is there any proof to support this?"

Tai shrugged. "Not as far as I know. It just makes sense. Look, all Digimon seem to have a vague idea of this 'secret' place, that _no one can find_. Well, it would pretty hard to find if it was beneath them the whole time."

"What does Gennai think of this?" Izzy asked.

"I haven't told him yet. I came straight here when I thought of it."

"Let's just say for argument's sake that Tai is right," Matt began. "Now how are we supposed to get to this place?"

"Digmon might be able to drill his way down," Cody offered.

"No, I don't think it would be that simple. Otherwise more Digimon would know about this place." Tai said.

"Yeah, because when I look at the ground, I think about digging all the way down to see what's beneath." Matt muttered. Shaking his head, he said louder, "So what then?"

"Maybe some kind of tunnel?" Tai shrugged again. "A disappearing tunnel that appears randomly."

"Oh, that's brilliant," Matt rolled his eyes, causing Tai to scowl at him.

"I'd like to see you come up with something better, hotshot!" He growled.

"Maybe I will! Something that's actually believable."

"Oh, great, here they go again," Yolei muttered as the two boys glared at each other.

"I thought they were friends again?" Davis

"Yeah, they were, sort of. Then Tai went semi-crazy over losing Kari, Matt probably got angry he didn't care about TK, and then remembered how he did his ex-girlfriend right after they broke. Only I'm not really sure who Sora's dating right now, so we can't really say if Matt is being fair there." Yolei explained quickly.

Davis's eyes bugged out, having barely been able to keep up. Mimi beamed at her, pleased to see someone was around to carry on her legacy of gossiping.

Tai snorted, saying, "Whatever, Matt. You can think what you want, but I know I'm right."

"Just like you were right about everything else?" Matt glowered. "You're three seconds away from diving headfirst into something you have no clue about."

"Izzy, did you find anything on your laptop?" Tai asked, ignoring Matt.

Izzy had been hard at work, typing furiously on his computer, ignoring Tai and Matt's argument and Yolei's rapid explanation. "Just a sec, Tai," he said, not looking up. His eyes moved quickly over the screen, barely pausing. Finally, he ceased his frantic reading, turning his laptop around for everyone to see.

The screen was filled with graphs and lines that were impossible to discover. But what Izzy obviously wanted them to see was a reoccurring simulation of a vortex forming like a tornado, the top expanding rapidly before closing and everything disappearing.

"Tai's theory made me curious, so I ran a hypothetical situation to see if it was remotely plausible. As it happens, it is," Izzy told them all. "It seems there's a whirlpool opening randomly throughout the DigiWorld, sucking in Digimon who are caught."

"Oh, yeah, Gennai told me something about a Digimon who thinks he controls who enters this place," Tai said, remembering what Gennai had told him that morning.

"Then it would make sense on how Sora got to the Underground."

"'The Underground'?"

"That's what I've named the place so we don't confused," Izzy said. He turned the computer back around, so that it faced him. "If I can find a way to predict the whirlpool's path, we might just get somewhere."

Tai clenched his fists, rocking up and down on his soles. For once, no one had anything to say. After searching endlessly for Sora, it was surreal now that they might actually find her.

"It's a good thing we have Imperialdramon," Izzy was saying, more to himself than anyone. "Otherwise this might be next to impossible."

"How long do you think it will take to find this whirlpool thing?" Tai finally asked.

"Not sure. Could be an hour or a week."

"_A week_?" Tai balked.

"It would be a lot faster if I was hooked up to my main system, but I don't think it would be the best to go back to our world." Izzy answered.

"And why is that?"

"Well, we've been gone for about a week, no doubt we've got all of our families worried. They probably figured out by now that we're in the Digital World. Once we go back, I'm betting they won't let us come back anytime soon. Me stuck in the Real World is a lot worse than me being here with only a laptop."

"That makes sense . . . I guess," Tai blinked.

"Why don't you all go check on the Digimon? Like I said, this could take a while." Izzy said, his question sounding more like an order than a request.

"Good idea," Joe intervened before anyone could argue. "I imagine they must be hungry after that battle."

Tai shrugged, and followed him as he walked to where most of the Digimon were still sleeping.

* * *

"Look!" Kari practically shouted, pointing eagerly at a large, medieval-appearing castle. She had run ahead of TK and the Digimon when they had come to climbing a steep hill. Since it was a castle they were looking for, Kari assumed that climbing to the top of the hill would reveal the hidden fortress. Because that seemed to be the classic move in all cinemas, after all.

TK jogged to her side, panting slightly. "I see it."

The castle was made of large stone bricks, and was quite massive in size; large enough to house several Digimon of grand proportions. It even had a wall built around it. Kari couldn't be sure if it was complete with a mote and drawbridge, but she was ready to bet the fort had both.

"Sora's in there," Kari reminded them all grimly. "And we're going to bust her out."

TK clenched his fist, determined to get the job done. "You bet we are."

"Patamon and I are stronger here, I wouldn't be surprised if we could digivolve to the Mega level." Gatomon commented, half to herself.

Kari blinked in surprise. "You could be right. Want to give it a shot?"

"I don't see why not," Gatomon said with a nod. Only the flicking of her tail showed how excited and nervous she was at the thought of advancing so far in her digivolution.

"Before we go busting down the front door," TK said, "we need a plan of action."

"From what Labramon told us, we have to take down this Sphinxmon," Kari added.

"I think we need the whole team for that," TK sighed. "We just need to find Sora and get out. Damn!" He swore suddenly.

"What?"

TK shook his head wistfully. "I was just thinking if we had Biyomon with us, then she'd be able to digivolve once she was reunited with Sora."

"Damn, that _does_ suck." It was a sign of how serious Kari was taking their mission that she cussed. TK looked impressed.

TK studied the castle thoughtfully. "No doubt there's going to be security all around it. If we could make a big enough distraction, one of us could slip inside and find Sora. Kari or I can go in."

"No way!" Patamon growled. "Whoever goes into that place has to have a Digimon with them, or you'll just be captured yourself."

"Patamon's right," Gatomon said.

TK and Kari exchanged looks. "So who's making the distraction?" TK finally asked.

"I think it should be you," Kari said after a moment. "I just have a feeling I'll be able to find Sora."

TK narrowed his eyes, but conceded. He wasn't really fond of the idea of sending Kari into a castle she might not be able to escape. "Okay, but how are you going to get in?"

Kari quickly crouched down and drew a crude model of the castle in the dirt. She pointed to the top with one finger. "We can come in overhead from behind after you and Patamon divert everyone. We'll hold back digivolving until then, so no one will notice. Then Gatomon can fly me to the top."

"Okay, that sounds good," TK agreed. "You and Gatomon up to this?" He asked Patamon.

"You bet!" Patamon responded eagerly. "It's about time we get to fight the guys for taking Sora from us."

Kari stood up, wiping off her dirty fingers. "So when do we stage this break-in?"

"Night? But it almost feels like they would expect that," TK bit his lip as he thought.

"What about early morning? Everyone will still be waking up and changing shifts," Kari suggested.

"Or late evening, when everyone's getting tired _and_ switching off shifts. If we wait until morning, everyone will be rested and energized," TK explained.

"Yeah, that sounds better." Kari glanced up at the sky, trying to gauge what time it must have been. She placed her bets for somewhere around noon-ish. She turned to the Digimon, "Do you want to practice digivolving to the Mega level?"

"I guess it's worth a shot," Gatomon said.

Kari pulled out her D3, suddenly unsure of herself. "Er, how do we make it work?"

"When Tai and Matt got the ability, it was because Angemon and Angewoman shot arrows at them. I guess we can't really have our Digimon attack themselves," TK mused, also taking out his own digivice.

"Should we put you two in danger and see if that helps?" Patamon suggested curiously.

"I think it would be more helpful if we had our crests," TK said. "I know we technically have them inside of us, but it was easier to harness when the power was a tangible object."

"Maybe we just need to access Hope and Light," Kari concluded. "We might just need to be in the right mindset."

"And how do we get there?" TK raised an eyebrow. "Meditation?"

She grinned slightly, saying, "Sure. Why not?"

TK rolled his eyes. Only Kari would have taken his idiotic suggestion to heart. "Alright, but you asked for it." He sat down, folding his legs Indian style. Kari copied him, taking his hands in hers. TK met her determined gaze, unable to look away.

"Think of something that fills you with hope," Kari whispered to him.

"And you think of something that light heals," TK said.

Kari closed her eyes, and a second later, TK did the same. Kari dug around in her mind, searching for something that would fill her with Light. She thought of when Angewoman had first appeared, after Wizardmon had sacrificed himself to protect her and Gatomon. Kari's grip tightened on TK's hand as she relived the horrible memory. It had been in that moment that Kari's crest had glowed brightly, allowing Gatomon to digivolve.

But the memory only made Kari depressed, the opposite of what she needed. She remembered when Myotismon had returned, even more vicious and out for blood. He'd nearly destroyed them all, but justice had prevailed.

_Just like it will this time_, Kari thought. _Sora needs our help, and TK and I are the only ones here to rescue her._ Kari remembered all the times Sora had comforted her on their first journey, selflessly setting aside her own feelings in favor of Kari. She'd been like a mother, assisting both Kari and TK until they'd grown up and didn't need her as much.

Kari felt a lightness enter her chest; a soft encouragement to do the right thing. She opened her eyes to see TK watching her with warm eyes.

"Ready?" He asked her.

"Ready."

They each picked up their D3s, which immediately emitted a strong light at the contact, hitting their Digimon. Kari's gasp was droned out as the two began digivolving.

"Gatomon warp digivolve to . . . Ophanimon!"

Gatomon's simple cat form grew in size, morphing into a majestic turquoise and yellow angel. Several wings grew from her back, and as the bright light faded, Kari could see her holding a pointed staff.

"Patamon warp digivolve to . . . Seraphimon!"

Seraphimon didn't pale in comparison to Ophanimon as he tripled in size from Patamon, several wings spreading out from behind his armor coated body.

"I think it worked," TK gaped at his Digimon.

But as quickly as the evolutions appeared, the two Mega Digimon reverted to their prior forms. TK and Kari ran over to them, still astonished at the accomplishment.

"We lost it," Gatomon said in disappointment, her ears drooping.

"No, I think you had it," TK argued lightly.

"It'll work better once you actually have someone to fight," Kari added. Gatomon lifted her head, her eyes hopeful.

The four spent the rest of the day hammering out the details of their attack. Even with that finished, they still had an hour or two to kill. The light was fading, the faint outline of a moon already visible.

Kari was sitting cross-legged on the ground, absently pulling at the grass, when TK slid down beside her with a sigh.

"Tired of waiting?" She guessed.

"Yep, I want to get this over with," he answered, picking up one of her hands and entwining his in it. "It'll be great to finally get Sora back."

"But what happens after that?" Kari asked. "We're still stuck here and we'll have a lot of Digimon chasing after us."

"I was thinking about that, too," he admitted. "But it will be worth it if it means getting Sora back."

"Oh, of course!" Kari agreed. "We just need to find a way out."

They sat there in silence, enjoying the other's company, until it was time to go. TK stood up, pulling Kari with him. She wrapped her arms around him, their lips touching. They stood kissing for several seconds until TK reluctantly pulled away.

"We have to go," he said, leaning his forhead on the top of her head.

She sighed, "I know. Just—be careful, okay?"

"I will," he promised.

They had decided it would be best to split up right away. Kari was aware of TK watching her as she and Gatomon slipped behind the trees. She then picked up the pace to a moderate jog with Gatomon keeping up beside her. It must have taken them at least ten minutes to reach the bottom of the hill and be within easy access for getting over the castle. Now they had to wait for the sound of TK's attack.

"Kari," Gatomon spoke up, "I was thinking about it, and I think it would safer if I became Angewomon."

"Why?" Kari asked in surprised.

"Because who knows how long I can hold out as Ophanimon."

"But you've already proven you can digivolve that far. Plus, when you reverted, you became Gatomon again. Whenever Agumon and Gabumon became their Mega levels, they always went back to Koromon and Tsunomon." Kari argued, keeping her voice quiet.

"I just don't think it's worth the risk," Gatomon admitted.

Kari watched the Digimon for a minute, before nodding. "Okay. We'll do what makes you comfortable. Hopefully, we won't be fighting anyone, if it all works out."

At that moment, a large tremble shook the ground. Gatomon grabbed Kari's leg to keep herself from toppling over. Kari had to bite her lip to keep from yelping at her Digimon's sharp claws dug into her skin. Instead, she said, "I hope TK and Patamon didn't overdue it."

"Nah, they're good," Gatomon replied, still tense. "The bigger, the better."

"You're right," Kari agreed. She took out her D3, shining it at Gatomon, who digivolved into Angewomon. Kari marveled at the Ultimate Digimon, still unable to quite comprehend how easily the evolution came on.

_This place wouldn't be so bad if it didn't have a psycho Digimon ruling,_ she decided. Angewomon scooped Kari up in her arms, transporting her easily across the fortress' wall, flying towards the top. There were no sentries watching the sky, so their landing was easy.

"Looks like it worked," Kari observed. She looked around warily, waiting for someone to sound the alarm that intruders were invading.

Gatomon pricked her ears, the sounds of battle reaching them. "Patamon's keeping them busy. Which means we better hurry."

"Right." Kari took off at a jog, desperate to find stairs or a ladder that would bring them into the interior of the castle. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and she could feel her hands begin to sweat, becoming clammy.

"Kari! Over here!" Gatomon called out suddenly. Kari sprinted over, racing down the stairs Gatomon had found, taking them two at a time. She was placed in a dilemma when she reached the last step. There was two ways to go in the dim hallway, neither looking inviting.

"Gatomon?" Kari asked uncertainly.

"I'm trying," the Digimon answered. Her ears twitched, trying to get a sense of things. "Digimon coming!" She hissed. "Let's go this way!" She ran away from the Digimon, Kari immediately following her. Every time her shoe hit the floor, she tried not to groan at the echo it left. But they had no time to be quiet and stealthy. Fifteen to twenty minutes, TK had told her.

"Hold it right there!"

A halting voice stopped Kari and Gatomon short. They froze as a large Digimon with the appearance of three heads came forward; behind him were several Dobermon.

"I was on my to help on the frontline, but it seems I've found the real culprits," Cerberumon growled. "Spread out and search the rest of the castle," He ordered the Dobermon, whom immediately scrambled to obey. Cerberumon studied Kari closely, smirking coldly. "I can guess why you're here. Follow me. If you try to fight, I'll destroy you without hesitation."

Cerberumon swung his muzzle around, pushing Kari in front of him and forcing her to walk. Gatomon hissed softly, but resisted lashing out. This idiot could lead them straight to Sora. Kari figured this out as well, stifling insults every time Cerberumon pushed her into a different direction. He walked quickly, a growl deep in his throat. By the time he let them stop, Kari estimated it had been several minutes since she and Gatomon had entered the castle. She shifted nervously, knowing TK wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

"Stay here," Cerberumon instructed, turning away when a new voice stopped him.

"That's not necessary, Cerberumon, as I am already here." Counter to all the dogs, a cat-like Digimon appeared from the shadows. Kari visibly flinched at the sudden appearance, cursing the dim light. Her eyes widened as she recognized that this must be Sphinxmon, the one Labramon warned the Digidestined they had no chance of fighting. He definitely resembled a sphinx, with the addition of black and gold armor.

Sphinxmon stood before a doorway, which opened without him uttering a single command, or even touching it. It swung open quickly, revealing none other then Sora. She looked up with dull eyes that widened in surprise.

"Kari, get out of here—!" Her warning was cut off as the door slammed shut.

"Gatomon, time to digivolve," Kari said coolly, pulling her D3 out in a flash, not heeding Sora's warning. Gatomon quickly became Angewomon, knocking an arrow and sending one at Cerberumon. She didn't pause to see if it hit or not as she sent another towards Sphinxmon. But the arrow had no effect, merely bouncing off his armor.

"You'll have to do better than that, I'm afraid," he growled, launching himself at Angewomon. Even in the tight corridor, he maneuvered easily, managing to catch Angewomon with his paw and pin her to the ground.

"Angewomon!" Kari called out helplessly. She realized her mistake as Cerberumon, now recovered, barreled towards her. Kari looked around for some sort of weapon. She dove for a piece of fallen stone, picking it up with trembling arms. Cerberumon prowled in front of her, crouching just before leaping. Kari dropped the stone, ducking down so that Cerberumon missed. She ran for the door where Sora had been, but it wouldn't open. She pounded hard on it, shouting for Sora.

Hot breath warmed Kari's neck. She twisted around, staring straight into the menacing eyes of Cerberumon. He snarled, revealing rows of pointed teeth. Kari cowered against the door, silently begging someone to help her.

Cerberumon had no intention of letting Kari go, instead feeling the intense need to make her suffer. It had been drilled into his brain since his hatching that humans were evil, and he would finally make one of them pay. He lifted a paw, knocking the girl to the ground with his—literally—razor-sharp, metal claws. She shouted in alarm and pain, the sound piercing Cerberumon's sensitive ears. He shook his head heavily, shaking off the high-pitched noise. When he reopened his eyes, he focused them back on Kari.

Kari in turn, through her pain and adrenaline rush, noticed what her scream had done. She stood up shivering, but with new determination compelling her. She opened her mouth and screamed as loudly as she managed. The effect was instantaneous as Cerberumon fell back, startled. Kari took the chance to run past him, halting a second later when she saw Gatomon hanging limply in Sphinxmon's mouth.

Sphinxmon threw the beaten Digimon at Kari's feet, not saying a word. Kari feel to her knees, pulling Gatomon to her chest. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. Kari wiped them away. She felt a burning pain in her side, and pressed her hand to it. When she looked back, she saw scarlet blood painted on it.

Cerberumon had recovered, and was now closing in on Kari from behind. She hugged Gatomon tighter, shifting so her knees were pulled up in front of her. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against her knees.

An image of TK flashed in front of her. Kari lifted her head; TK was waiting for her. She couldn't let him down. Gatomon stirred in her arms, weakly saying, "I want to keep fighting. I have to—have to keep protecting you."

Kari stared at Gatomon, so overcome with emotion that she had to blink back another set of tears. She reached a hand out, scratching the Digimon in her favorite spot. "I'll fight with you, then. I'll protect you."

Gatomon struggled in Kari's embrace, pushing herself away until she was freed. She stood up on two legs, flattening her ears and hissing at the approaching Cerberumon.

Kari suddenly felt compelled to point her D3 at Gatomon in the chance that she could digivolve still. But nothing happened. Frustrated, she hauled herself up, gasping softly at a flash of pain. She pushed past it, again pointing the D3, only to see nothing happen.

"Work, dammit!" She threw it against the wall when nothing happened still. The digivice hit the wall, falling to the floor. A pink light shot out a moment later, engulfing Gatomon. Kari collapsed on the ground, but not before seeing Gatomon become Ophanimon.

Everything went very quickly from there. Cerberumon was obliterated first with one strike. Sphinxmon attempted to attack, sending a ball of darkness at Ophanimon. She stopped it by manifesting several crystals and sending them back towards him. One of the crystals destroyed Sphinxmon's attack, the rest hitting him. He roared in pain, engulfed by the attack.

Ophanimon flew towards Kari, dropping to the ground to pick her up.

"Wait, we still have to find Sora," Kari told her urgently.

Ophanimon hesitated, before nodding. "Very well." She blasted the door open where they had seen Sora, but no one was there. Kari staggered into the room, holding onto the doorframe for support. Ophanimon stayed behind her, casting a light into the room. But it revealed nothing; the stone room was bare.

Suddenly, Ophanimon grabbed Kari, pulling her into the air and out of the way of a blast of darkness. Sphinxmon prowled beneath, glaring at up his rival of light. Kari watched him, clinging to her Digimon. She shivered, asking, "Can't you beat him? You're stronger than him now."

"I cannot. My strength dims even now," Ophanimon replied, turning away. "We must leave now, Kari. There is no time left to find Sora."

"But we're so close—" Kari gasped in pain, writhing in Ophanimon's arms. The wound Cerberumon had given her was bleeding heavily, something Kari hadn't noticed earlier. Now she was paying for it, growing weaker by the moment. Ophanimon shared her partner's pain. She shifted her hold on Kari so that she was held up in one hand. With her free one, Ophanimon blasted a hole through the ceiling, and flying out of it.

Ophanimon didn't notice Sphinxmon's watching eyes, or his lack of attacking. The only thing Ophanimon could think of was her human, and how she should have noticed earlier that Kari was hurt. The Digimon's energy dwindled further as she flew away. As soon as they were within safe distance, Ophanimon dropped to the ground, clumsily landing as she reverted to Salamon. Kari lay on the ground opposite her exhausted Digimon, stretching a hand out, but not able to reach her.

"Thank you," Kari whispered. Distantly she was aware of someone calling her name. But the person must not have been too far away because suddenly she was being lifted off the ground. Fear gripped her before she realized the hold was gentle, warm. She turned her head and saw that it was TK. His face was cast with worry.

"I'm taking you to safety, Kari. Just hold on." He told her urgently.

"Salamon," she mumbled tiredly.

"She's right here."

"That's good. She saved me." Kari closed her eyes, instantly falling asleep now that she was reassured to be okay with TK.

* * *

So I'm not very good with descriptions, and haven't really explained what the castle looks like. Look at my user page for a link to the castle.

**edit;** Went through and fixed all my mistakes. There were a lot. :P


	11. Hiatus

**Hiatus**

****So, I really hate doing this, but for the time being _The Link _will be on hold. I'm tired of the story and ready to work on a new one; one with a decent plot and that I actually know what to do with. When the idea for _The Link_ first came to me, I honestly had no concept of how it would turn out, which has led it to be a train wreck. Well, I think so anyway.

My new story is called _Oceanic Cataclysm_ (might change the title to something more appealing later). It'll be darker themed and definitely Mature rated for a reason. It features the characters from Adventure / 02 in college and high school. There will be plenty of OC going around, but I promise it won't suck. And if it does, then indulge me and say it doesn't. ;')

I have no idea if I ever will return to this fanfic. I like the idea of it, but it needs a lot of work, and I'm big on "revising my work."

I'm hoping my new story will be up in a week or so (just in time for school, yay). Right now, I'm trying to work out how to incorporate the changes in everyone so you, the reader, won't be confused when it's halfway through the story.

Thank you everyone who has read this story and kept up with it. Your reviews always made my day when I get to see that people actually _do_, not to mention like, what I write. So thanks.


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